Granny Panties
by Maeve-Juniper
Summary: Madeline Bonnefoy is starting her second year of High School, fully expecting that she would fade into the back ground once again with her best friend Katyusha. She's proven wrong quickly when a blonde, Belgian transfer student pulls her into a life of flirting, shopping, and just simply living. High School AU. NOT YURI
1. Chapter 1

Ever since I was little, I always believed that if I was good, I would find happiness. Movies and fairy tales depicting beautiful, rich, caring princesses always gave them a happily ever after. At the time, and even now, I never made the connection that being a beautiful princess meant that a girl could find the right one, or live a wonderful life. I always thought that it was because the princess was being good to those around her; she was always an attentive, elegant lady who treated everyone with respect and kindness. Who believed in people when maybe she should not have, but because of her good heart she would always make it through in the end.

I've begun to learn that other girls have interpreted these stories we hear and that shape our lives in ways that we don't always see in different ways. Instead of taking it as a sign that they must be good people in order to find Mr. Right, most girls take it that they have to look better or act a certain way to be a good woman. They always wanted to be princesses.

Others don't agree with that. They find the entire concept degrading and wrong. They reject the idea full-heartedly, becoming complete tomboys or Goths to show everyone that there is more to women than that. Still others, who also believe that society has put too much spotlight into the idea, making it harmful to girls' self-image, and that women don't need a man to come save them or make them happy. That we can find our own happiness.

Then there are those like me -because I do believe that there are others like me even if I haven't met them yet- who just try their best and hope for the best results.

"Oh god, what are you wearing?" A blonde girl whom I've never met is pointing at me disgustedly as I roll down my pants. We're in the locker rooms, getting changed for gym.

"Are you like, sixty or _five_?" She's lost the disgusted look, her lips turning into a sneer. If she weren't so expressive with her facial expressions, she would be much prettier, and save herself from a lot of wrinkles in the future.

I look down at my chosen underwear. White and kind of bunchy, they cover my hip bones, my butt, and all my private pieces. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them, but the girl seems to think so.

"I-is something wrong with them?" I ask, truly not knowing what could be her problem with them. They were freshly washed this morning, a stark, almost too bright white.

"Well for starters, my grandma has a pair." Each word is said slowly. Maybe because she wants to make sure I hear, or maybe because she has a speech impediment. It really is quite a toss up. There's a chorus of snickers that echo around the changing room, but no one adds in any of their own comments or tries to defend me.

I really don't know what to say to her, and she probably doesn't expect me to respond anyways. Instead I just shrink into myself, hoping her judging brown eyes would just focus on something else and feeling a little pity for myself. May as well if no else is going to.

Finally she just makes a small snort of disapproval in my direction and moves on to other locker rows where the rest of the girls are. It's my first day back at Queens High after two months of a glorious summer which I spent mostly with Katyusha, camping at her parents cabin. Now I'm back, in my first class of the day, and someone has already mocked me. For my underwear. Great times.

But really, I'm not teased very often. Katyusha and I have ways of flying under the radar, mostly because we both present ourselves properly and never make too much noise. We dress the right way, we don't answer too many questions in class, we don't flirt with boys in case another girl is already interested, and the only time we gossip, which is rarely, is when we are safely behind the doors of either her room or mine. There is no point in putting ourselves out there if Katyusha can barely stand being insulted whether it was meant as sarcasm or just a joke she was supposed to laugh at, and when I can't defend her as I can never find the words or the nerves. Not to mention neither of us are very good at talking to people, we tend to say the wrong jokes or talk too much about things that others aren't interested in, and the worst part is that both of our voices are so soft that people never catch much of what we're saying anyways. Eventually, I've come to realize that it saved a lot of time just talking to Kat.

Unfortunately the only class we share is Biology at the end of the day in Mr. Jason's room. Seeing as she's my only friend, every other class will be spent doing projects by myself. I don't have to worry about not having someone to talk to, though, me and Katyusha both want to get into good universities and would rather focus on our work and save socialising for later. Have I mentioned that I'm a goody-two-shoes? Because I am. Very much so, in fact, and I'm not afraid to deny it.

With black shorts on, sporting a grey high school logo'ed, recommended t-shirt and my runners' shoelaces tied, I exit the green-and-yellow themed change room and head for the gym downstairs. We probably aren't going to do much today. Simple introductions and a team-building exercise so us girls can 'bond' is what's most likely on the schedule. Opening the door to the gym, I take I sigh at the long day it was shaping up to be.

As expected, I'm the only one in here other than Mrs. Mitchell, who looks up and smiles at me from her seat on the bench when she hears my entering.

"Hi!" Her voice is full of pep. Luckily I don't mind peppy people, there's nothing wrong with having a good attitude, after all. If I did so happen to dislike the cheerful sort, I would probably come to despise gym class, and the fact would ruin my entire day further than it already was. It seemed that God was generous with my tolerance ability.

"What's your name?" She asks, gaze not returning to her open binder.

Teachers are a lot easier to talk to than peers. The age gap allows a certain level of comfort-ness and the nature of the relationship means I don't have to worry about them bugging me, other than the occasional hassle to get homework in, but I always get my things done on time, so that isn't much of a concern. "Madeline Bonnefoy, but most people just call me Maddie."

Her eyes light up, more so than they already were. "Oh! That is such a French name!"

"Yes, my family came here with all those French settlers, at least on my mom's side, until my grandparents decided to move out west. My dad is actually from France." When it comes to my heritage, I'm always proud to share the info with others. Okay, well teachers and Kat.

"That is so interesting! I'm sure the other girls would like to hear all about it!"

I give her a closed-mouth smile just because before gingerly sitting down cross-legged at a good distance from her. Not so far that it looks like I'm a loner, and not so close as to look eager and teacher's pet-ish. The girl at the locker room had already established that she could make this class tough for me, no reason to tempt fate by getting careless.

I stare at the far corner of the room, bored, as the rest of the girls come in sporadically, by themselves or in a group, in the time span of five minutes. No one comes to bother me, and I am perfectly okay with that. Once it looks like a substantial amount of students has shown up, Mrs. Mitchell hops off the bench and skips towards the doors with a bounce in her step. I watch her, since there's nothing else to do, as she peeks her head out in the open sitting area just outside the gym, then darts her head back in and closes the door.

She walks back to the seat, smiling at everyone, hands clasped together. Most don't smile back, too submerged in their own conversations to notice. I don't blame them, if Kat were here I would be talking to her, too.

"Hello, class!" her voice is so booming with enthusiasm that she easily gets everyone to turn and face her. "As some of you may know, I'm Mrs. Mitchell! I'm the coach for the volleyball team and I also teach health class! In fact, some of you may also have me for health this year, whether it's this semester or the next. I'm really excited to teach a fresh new class of girls, and I hope to get to know all of you well by the end of the semester!"

She claps her hands once, gaze searching the room. I give her a pitying smile when her eyes pass mine, but I don't know if it encouraged her or not.

"First off, I'm sure even though many of you may have a few friends in this class, I'm certain you don't know everyone! I know this may not seem important, but when it comes to participating in class and just having a good experience, it's best to build even more friendships, especially when some of you don't know anyone here. So we're gonna gather around in a big circle and try a couple of little mini-games to get acquainted!" Mrs. Mitchell is the first to get up, even leading the group to the center of the gym, sitting down cross-legged and a giddy smile on her face as she sees everyone else following. Once we're all seated, her voice rings out again.

"Okay, great, girls!" She congratulates, like we did more than just walk over here and sit down. "I'll go first, then…" She looks pointedly at the girl sitting to her right.

"Sarah."

"Sarah will go next! The goal is to try and remember as many names as you can, you'll see why afterwards." her grin takes on a certain sense of 'I know something you don't know' but it doesn't take a genius to understand that our newfound knowledge will be tested in some way.

"I'm Mrs. Mitchell!"

"I'm Sarah." The brunette gives a little wave.

The naming continues as I only half listen, waiting for my turn in the spotlight before getting ignored again. But, only two names before my own, a loud knock at the closed door interrupts the introductions.

The class begins talking to their neighbours, if they know them, and Mrs. Mitchell takes on a small frown. She uncrosses her legs and half-jogs to the door, my eyes following her every move.

Before Mrs. Mitchell can even fully open the green doors, a figure bursts into the room. I can't fully see who it is, but it's definitely another student of this gym class. I can make out her shorts and grey shirt, and just a bit of her shoulder length, sunny blonde hair.

"Hi!" Her voice is loud, but not in the same way as Mrs. Mitchell's. I can't quite place the difference, it's just there.

"Are you-"

"I'm a transfer, I only came into the city a couple days ago. You're Mrs. Mitchell, right?" her voice is smooth and easy.

"Yes, and-"

"I'm Bella!" Without listening to another word from Mrs. Mitchell, Bella sidesteps her, revealing vibrant green eyes and a pretty face as she strides over to the circle. She's looking all around at everyone until her eyes land on me. Her smile falls a little and her eyes widen slightly. I quickly turn away, feeling pretty embarrassed and inexplicably guilty. There's heat rising from my neck, and I already know my pale skin is revealing a pink hue across my cheeks.

My body stiffens as I feel a brush against my shoulder, but I don't dare look. I don't have to, the culprit is suddenly right in my face, big green eyes right on mine and a wide smile on her perfect lips.

"What's your name?" She asks, and it's so loud and clear that the noise causes my ear to vibrate with the sound. She's too loud. Too obnoxious. She may not be wearing much makeup apart from the mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss, but she's way too pretty and confident to be talking to me. She'll just attract too much attention, none of which I need.

Her eyebrow furrows as she continues to stare at me, her eye contact only breaking when Mrs. Mitchell's voice can be heard again.

"Alright everyone, since there's a new member to our little group, we'll start again from the top! I'm Mrs. Mitchell."

"I'm Sarah." The brunette states again, this time no wave for affect. The names continue down the line, the entire time Bella's leg is shaking slightly, like she can't stay in one spot for more than a second.

When it's her turn, Bella's voice has tons of energy and life. Somehow, it sounds so much more genuine coming from her than Mrs. Mitchell. I don't think she's a prep like the teacher, either.

"I'm Bella!" It was short and to the point like everyone else's, the only difference was that unlike everyone else, the blonde seemed excited about it.

It was my turn now, and even though I know that no one is looking at me and can care less, my body still freezes. "I'm M-Madeline…"

"Excuse me, dear?" The teacher asks. She could just be asking me because she wants me tell everyone myself, or because she can't remember. My bet is on the latter.

I sigh inwardly, wishing that for once, my voice would be heard the way I want it to. "I-it's M-Madeline…" Instead of adding volume, my voice comes out more shaky and quiet than before.

Mrs. Mitchell's eyes get sort of blank as she stares at me, her smile weary but still intact. What a trooper. "What was that again, honey?" My mind registers the fact that she likes to call students little pet names before going back to my speech problem at hand.

I don't have a stutter, I don't speak in short, clipped sentences nor do I have to think for a long time about what I'm going to say before I say it. I just think that sometimes, especially when in a large group of people my own age, it's sort of perfectly normal to not get past your first word like a toddler learning to speak.

The new girl, Bella, lightly nudges my arm. I still don't look at her as I raise my head, keeping my periwinkle eyes on Mrs. Mitchell. "My name is Madeline." My voice isn't very loud, it doesn't fill the room, cause anyone to turn heads or change their opinion of me. It's still as quiet as a mouse, and could be lost in the wind. But there _is_ no wind, and Mrs. Mitchell nods her head at my introduction, a warm smile on her face.

"Thank you, Madeline." the girl next to me says her name, and eventually the entire circle is done. We go through the little mini-game, the introduction taking up the entire class time as indicated when Mrs. Mitchell checks her watch and sees we all have to change.

I get up slowly, and am met with a blonde, green-eyed girl a few inches taller than me. Her stance is filled with confidence, hands on her hips and a small smile gracing her lips.

"So it's Madeline, huh?"

I nod quickly and move past her in a fast pace. She walks beside me, matching my steps perfectly. "That's a cool name. You ever see that one French cartoon with a girl named Madeline? Ya know, where she's a little orphan girl in a yellow dress?"

I blush a little, since it was the very character I was named after. "Y-yes…"

"I watched that show all the time. I don't think it airs anymore, though."

I feel a sudden urge to tell her that I didn't think so, either, but stopped myself just as the words were about to come out. She seems like a nice enough person and I don't want to be mean to her, but there are rules that I already have set in place for myself, and making friends is against them. Bella doesn't seem to mind though, as we walk to the end of the hall, up the stairs and into the change rooms.

She actually talks the whole time, about her hometown in Belgium and how her dad got laid off and the economy wasn't so good, so they came to Canada, the land of opportunity. At least, that's what she called it. Her mouth never seized to move even when they got to the change room, Bella walked to her own locker and came back to mine with a bag in hand.

"So, what class do you have next?"

I concentrate on changing into a red sweater and leggings rather than answer her.

She isn't fazed. "I have social with Mr. Vargas."

My body locks at the new information. We have the same social class. She doesn't notice my lack of movement, however, and keeps going.

"I heard he's got a younger brother who goes here in the same grade as us. Have you had Mr. Vargas before? Is he hot?"

I have had the strict, perpetually angry Italian teacher last year, but I never really thought of him in that light before. Maybe if he didn't have such a short fuse...

"Well, he's gotta be young if his brother really _does_ go here. Seriously, how awesome would it be if they were both hot?"

I haven't heard of this supposed younger brother before, and I actually went here last year! Not to mention I've lived here my _entire life_, where as she only showed up in the _country_ a few _days ago_. It's not all that big of a deal, but I'm still a little surprised of my own hermit-like ways.

"But maybe it's best not to put all my efforts on boys right now. They'll come to me eventually." Her voice is so certain of this that I almost think she's joking. Boys don't just come to people. Or maybe they do, for people like her. I just have to wait for the right boy, is all.

By the time I've got my glasses on and turn to leave, it strikes me that Bella is already dressed in a black t-shirt, forest green shorts and a matching ribbon used as a headband, just standing there leaning on the lockers. "What class do you have?" She asks for the second time. "Maybe we're going the same direction."

A heavy feeling of guilt rises through my chest knowing that I still didn't answer her question. "Y-yeah…"

We walk through the crowded hallway, getting closer and closer to social. When we got right outside the door, Bella gave me an inquisitive look, one which I shied away from, before entering the classroom.

"Madison."

I freeze. The class may be half-full, and my caller may be hidden amongst the students, but I can recognize the British accent, the aloof and distant tone anywhere. More importantly, he is the only one who's ever called me that.

Arthur Kirkland.

I don't even get the chance to pretend I haven't heard him as he calls out again. "Madison, come here." It's not a question or a suggestion, it's a command.

I shift my eyes to Bella, who's expectantly waiting for me to choose a place, so gathering up what little energy I have, I make my way to the third row where Arthur is. When I walk past Arthur to sit at the place behind him, he clears his throat. Why is this guy such a pain in the ass? And, more importantly, why do I always listen to him like some sort of lap dog?

Bella crashes into me, since I had just stopped without warning. She easily gains back her balance and stops me from tumbling over by grabbing my elbow. "Hey, are you okay?"

" She's fine." Arthur answers for me.

Bella looks at him like he's an alien before directing me to the spot beside him. She plops herself down at the seat ahead of me and swivels her entire torso to me.

"Have you had Mr. Vargas for anything before, Madeline?"

I nod.

"What's he like? I hope he marks easy, I'm not really the best at school."

"Unsurprising." Arthur states in a cynical tone, not so much as glancing over at us.

Bella's green eyes widen for a moment, but then she just grins.  
"I guess we can't all be as good as the posh and proper English, can we, Madeline?"

Is this how you're supposed to talk to boys? If so, I may as well invest in a few cats now.

"Madison, are you _friends_ with this inadequate girl? If so, I highly advise getting a new criteria for who you choose to spend your time with."

"Why are you calling her Madison? Her name is Madeline."

"Well I couldn't possibly expect someone like you to understand."

"Arthur, would you please stop arguing with Bella?" I ask a bit desperately, my voice the clearest it's been so far. I give Bella a quick glance, noting that now _I'm_ the one she's staring at as if I were an alien.

"We are not arguing, Madison, just discussing our differences."

"You always say that…" I grumble, but Arthur's nimble ears catch it anyways as indicated by his slight frown.

Bella suddenly leans in and I jerk back at the fast motion. "Madeline, is your name really Madison, and I've just been calling you by the wrong name this whole time?" She whispers.

"N-no, Arthur is just-… well, h-he's always been-"

"Alright class, I'm Mr. Vargas, this is social 20. If you didn't know that or you've got the wrong class, get out." It's Mr. Vargas. He's found his way to the front and center of the class without anyone noticing. No one gets up or even blinks as he scans the class, a grumpy look on his face.

"Good, glad that's settled. Now for your first group project-" There's a collective groan heard, and Mr. Vargas seems none too happy about it. "Shu- quiet down! Next person who so much as _breathes_ the wrong way is getting a D.T." He threatens, successfully getting the entire class to close their mouths. "You will pick a nation or nation state- yes?"

We all turn our necks to a kid smack in the middle of the desks, who had just been raising his hand. "What's the difference between a nation and a nation state?"

Mr. Vargas sighed loudly, as if he were questioning himself on just why he chose teaching as his career. "A nation state is defined by it's borders, government, and all that. It's basically a country. A nation is individually defined by groups of people who share similarities. Try to remember this."

"As I was saying, this is your first group project of the year. You will, as a group, pick a nation and give at least three points that increase and decrease it's national pride." He strode over to his desk, picking up a stack of white papers and handing them out. Once I got one I read the instructions to the project and the criteria we're being marked on. "We'll go to the computer lab to work on this tomorrow, and you'll present it on Friday. Any other questions?"

A girl raised her hand at the back of the class. "What is it?" He nearly snapped.

The girl had a cool expression on her face, like she wasn't bothered by Mr. Vargas' attitude. "How big can our groups be?"

"No more than three. Now, is that it? Can we finally be done with this?" No one moved an inch. "Okay, go ahead and choose your groups." Before Mr. Vargas made it back to his desk, most students were already picking their partners.

"Madeline, be my partner."

"Madison, we're partners."

The two said simultaneously, going as far as glaring at each other at the same time.

"It's obvious Madison will be my partner. We are friends after all."

"I'm pretty sure friends call each other by their actual names."

"That statement only shows how little you know of Madison and anything in general."

"At least I didn't demand her to be my partner, Mr. Bossy Pants."

"I'd prefer to-" Of course, Mr. Vargas just had to come around to our row, taking away my chance to tell both of them that I would rather not work with them. In retrospect, Arthur probably would have swindled me into it either way, but that's besides the point.

"You three partners?"

"Yes!" Bella declared.

"No." Arthur protested.

"Uhm… I-I…" Were the only words I'd managed to get past my lips. Mr. Vargas is a really scary teacher, okay?

Mr. Vargas may as well have been ignoring Arthur and me, his amber eyes locked on Bella. "Good." He turned around, going to bug other groups.

And with that, I was forced into being partners with a crazy blonde and controlling Brit, all without seeing Kat, the one person I actually wanted to talk to today.

**Author's Note: **

**Sooo... new story. Honestly, I forgot I created this account a few years ago. I made a new one but forgot the password and apparently I can't go back to it for some reason, so this one will do! For anyone curious, my other account was Nom-Nom123 and I had one story on there; Another Separation, also a Hetalia fic.**

** Any who, this is a high school AU set in Edmonton (Alberta) because Canadians don't all live in Toronto. Or Vancouver. Yeah, a few more characters will be put in their places later. I'm sorry if you were hoping for yuri, there isn't going to be any in this. It's mostly a friendship fic that will get into some romance themed stuff later. But the main point is FRIENDSHIP. Because for some reason, fanfic writers tend to forget that what makes high school isn't the boys you date, but the girls that are there for you after the break up. **

** Yeah, I'm gettin' all sentimental up in here! Haters gonna hate B)**

**Before anyone can ask for certain pairings, I want to make a few things clear here! USXUK IS NEVER HAPPENING HERE. NO. If you like it, good for you, but not everyone does. I myself despise the pairing and hate when it's added into stories where neither character is the protagonist, or even a main character. It's annoying and distracting. I don't really know if there will be Spamano and/or GerIta, none of the characters in those pairings are relevant to this story, so chances are they won't be, because even though I don't mind those pairings I know some people won't even LOOK at fics that involve them in a romantical sense. I can't be a hypocrite. if there are going to be minor pairings, they will most likely center around Belgium or Ukraine, as they are two of the three main characters. **

** Oh yes, and I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape or form. I'm not that ballsy. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick note: Italics are being said in French, or any language that is not English. I would do the translations at the bottom, but there will be too much conversing for that, I'm afraid.**

"_My dear Madeline, it's time to get up for school!_" I groan at the sing-song voice of my papa, Francis Bonnefoy, waking me up in perfect French. Sinking back into bed for just a few more moments of precious sleep, my alarm clock goes off just before my head hit's the pillow. An additional groan and a whack to the beeping monstrosity later, I crawl out of bed and head to my dresser.

Pulling out a white sweat shirt and some leggings, I change in a leisurely pace, then pull my hair into their signature pigtails with red ribbons. My papa has always loved it when my caramel coloured hair is styled this way, and I mostly keep at it because otherwise he would try and dress me up in the clothes he likes. I know he has an amazing sense of style, but if I all of a sudden walk into school in something _he_ picked out…

A tiny sneeze can be heard from my bed, and, on closer inspection, I find the noise coming from Kumarie, my dog. We've had her ever since I can remember, my mom loves pets, especially dogs, and wanted to make sure I had one growing up since she didn't. No one knows what breed she is, we got her from a farm where the dogs were all mixed. Her fur is soft, her ears are uniquely round, her eyes are small and black and her legs are a bit wide. Some people have commented on her looking like a polar bear cub, with her purely white fur. I go over and pet her ears, thumbing her pink plastic flower accessory. I figured out years ago, when sampling a few of mom's things, that although she detested the other things I stuck on her (necklaces, headbands, etc) she didn't mind the flower. As a result, I've come to regularly clipping it gently onto her ear. She nudges her head into my hand, and I admire her smooth fur. As usual I get too transfixed with her, snapping out of it when remembering that she still needs to be fed. My closet has her bag of dry food, so I go over and grab it. Kumarie is an old dog, unlike during her younger years she slowly makes her way to the food bowl.

With that taken care of, I make my way to the bathroom in the hall and further prepare for another day of sitting down and listening to adults go off on tangents. Once I'm done with my business in the washroom, I head downstairs, the smell of eggs and pancakes filling my nostrils in a very pleasant way. The first thing I'm met with is papa, standing in front of the stove, flipper in one hand and the handle of a pan in the other. He hasn't noticed my arrival, so I quietly cross the kitchen to the little nook in the corner and seat myself at the booth.

I listen to the melodic humming of my papa, every so often a French word slipping through his lips like silk. The sound is so comforting and safe that I almost forget I'm in the kitchen on a school day instead of being tucked in at night. My eyes are getting a little heavy, and I almost nod off until my mom is all of a sudden in my line of vision, smiling at me knowingly.

She's sitting across from me, and there are no words said as we both listen to the murmurs of papa, enjoying it together. It's over too soon when papa turns around to grab something, finally noticing our presence. He chuckles at the two of us, then continues cooking but now without the little tune.

My parents get into a conversation once breakfast is done and we've all got a plate. I barely pay attention as I lather my pancakes in maple syrup and fork it down way too fast.

"_Are you ready to go yet, Madeline?_" He asks as I'm clearing my plate.

"_Yes, papa_."

We're fairly quiet on the way to school, papa knows I don't like too much noise, so he keeps his questions and small talk to a minimum. Sometimes, especially in these moments when he is so content just sitting next to me, I wonder if he minds how little I interact. When I was younger, maybe six or seven, my parents took me to a big building to get all these tests done. I had to do little puzzles and read them stories, and they wrote everything down in little black notebooks, observing my behaviour. After they decided I didn't have any social disorders and nothing was actually wrong with me, they sent me on my way.

My parents, possibly figuring they hogged me too much in my early years, signed me up for various sports and clubs so I could make friends. The only one I stuck with was hockey. At that age, I didn't understand that the entire point of my joining a team was to make friends, the only thing I did was concentrate on the sport that I fell in love with. It was around that time that I incidentally did what my parents wanted all along; I made one friend.

Katyusha Braginski.

Her brother was also in hockey and went to the same rink as me. She was cheering for him when a couple kids in the stands started giggling at her enthusiasm. I watched as she drew into herself and quickly sat down, I thought she might've started crying. Luckily I didn't have on all my equipment, so I slowly made my way to the stands and asked her which player was her brother. She pointed to a kid already skating around on the ice like he was made for it, his only clear feature being his striking violet eyes. I told her that I saw her brother play a few times before, and that he never played as well as when she encouraged him. Then she revealed her face from behind a large coat, her eyes were not red, nor were her cheeks tear-stricken. She was smiling at me, her navy blue eyes warm.

That was when I decided that maybe me and her had a few things in common.

Now we're practically inseparable. There isn't much that I don't do with Kat, she comes to all my hockey games and I go to her Ukrainian dance performances, we watch movies together, go camping together, have sleepovers at each others houses, anything and everything. At first I was a little afraid of spending so much time with Kat, her brother may be a year younger than me but he has always been eerie, than there was Natalia. She clings to Ivan like he's a doll and has never given me much trouble, but I've always felt like she was more dangerous than even Ivan. But that fear had slowly faded over the years as I've become used to them. Or, as used to them as I can get.

Papa stopped at a red light, and my eyes caught sunny blonde hair. There, waiting to cross the street, was the eager Belgian girl from yesterday. She obviously hasn't noticed me, her eyes are focused on the little orange hand indicating for her to stay put, but she clearly doesn't want to. She's rocking back and forth on her feet, her eyes darting from one car to another as they are able to more forward when she can't. her stare is almost one of envy.

My first reaction from the sight of her is to duck, so I do. Unfortunately, I've forgotten that I'm not alone in the car. "_Madeline, what are you doing?_" There is a hint of humour in his voice.

"_N-nothing, papa… I-I just-_"

Papa doesn't wait for me to finish, his deep blue eyes looking up and searching. I have no idea what he's looking at when he gets a sly grin on his face. _"Do you know that young girl there, dear?_"

My periwinkle eyes widen revealing the truth before I even get the chance to deny anything. "_Why didn't you say anything before, my sunshine? The school is only a few blocks away, it would be rude to just pass a friend._"

Oh god. He's not going to-

He does.

The light turns green, and the little white man pops up. Our car turns and papa puts the car into a slow crawl until he can fully stop the vehicle, waiting for Bella. Papa pokes my arm as she passes, and I know he'll be disappointed with me if I don't follow through with what he wants. Regretting even waking up this morning, I pop my head out the window.

"B-Bella! Please stop!" Bella slows her pace and looks to each side, so I guess she heard _something_, at least. "B-Bella, it's me! M-Madeline!" Finally, she does a full one-eighty, her eyes scanning the area in bewilderment before they fall on me. When they do, her entire face brightens, lighting up the dreary grey sky. In the blink of an eye she's at the side of the car, looking into it's exterior.

"Hey, Madeline! I am so glad to see you! Have you thought of a nation for our project yet? We can do France or something just to piss Arthur off." She's grinning mischievously at me.

Her ambitious attitude only makes me feel bad for trying my best to avoid her after social class, any time I saw sunny blonde hair or green shorts, I turned the other way opting for a longer route. She doesn't really deserve that, but each time I try and force myself to meet her halfway, my flight instinct takes over.

Once again, I've forgotten that papa is in the car. "_Oh, Madeline, why didn't you tell me about your project? I could tell you so many things of pride from our country!_"

"_You are French?_" Bella asked incredulously, shocking everyone in the car. My jaw became unhinged, and papa looked like someone had given him a million dollars.

He leans over me and grasps Bella's hands in his own, his blue eyes shining. I, on the other hand, can't believe what I'm seeing. "_You know my mother tongue?!_"

"_Yes! I am from Belgium!_"

The two speak in a flurry about their lives back in Belgium and France, as well as how they ended up in Canada. Papa relayed the story of how he met my mother while she was an exchange student temporarily living in France, and Bella of how her family came for job opportunities. The only pause in their retelling is when papa insists that she hop in the backseat, and she complies.

On the drive there, I am forced to listen to the chatter of my papa and Bella, which isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Bella would sometimes try and get me involved in the conversation, even managing to get me to utter a few generic responses. I can tell papa likes her, by how he shoots her question after question and compliments her on literally every single article of clothing she's wearing, from her hot pink headband to her matching ballerina flats. Once he stops in front of the school, I can tell he doesn't want Bella to leave yet.

"_Oh Bella, it was such a pleasure speaking with you! I am surprised my little Madeline hasn't said anything about you._"

Papa embarrassing me at the last minute? Check.

"_She is very shy, so that makes sense. Don't worry, Francis, I will make sure she loosens up a bit this year._" She winks, winks at papa, like they were sharing a secret only they knew.

Papa does his weird hon hon hon thing. "_I will hold you to that._"

Before they have a chance to exchange any more words, I crack open my door and slip outside, where Bella immediately jumps to my side.

"_See you later, my little Madeline! I love you!_"

Bella giggled at papa's sign of affection, and I wished I could just disappear. "_B-bye, papa._"

He gives a final wave before driving off to work. "You're dad seems like a nice guy."

"He is."

"I had no idea your family spoke French. Well, maybe I should've, since your name is pretty French sounding…" Bella seemed to be contemplating this. "Anyways, we should do France for our project. I'm sure Eyebrows won't mind."

"E-eyebrows…?"

Bella, in my opinion, is a little overexcited. "Yeah! You can't tell me you haven't noticed those caterpillars on his face, I mean, apparently you know him already."

I shrink into myself.

"What's up with you two, anyways? He bosses you around a lot and you just take it! Obviously you're a pretty reserved girl, but self-righteous guys like him need to be told off every once in awhile. You could even say it's good for them."

"I-I…"

"Are you afraid of hurting his feelings? Is that it? Well don't worry about that, I'm sure he can handle it, since he seems to think he's so great."

"H-he's not-"

"Plus, if you did manage to fight back, he'd probably be super surprised, considering he knows he can tell you what to do. And he's so _smug_ about it. Doesn't that annoy you? It annoys me, that's for sure, and I've only had to see it with my own eyes for an hour!"

I really don't like the way she's talking about Arthur. He may not be a good person, hell, he may not even be a _decent_ person and I myself question why I listen to him half the time, but Bella doesn't know anything about our situation, yet she can talk about it so easily!

"I bet as soon as we ask for France he'll shoot down the idea without a second thought. 'Course I don't know if he actually has any problems with the country, but he seems like the type to complain about everything. A real cynic, I'd-"

"Can you please stop! You… -you don't know anything about Arthur, _or_ why I listen to him! You've only met him, and not to mention me, _yesterday_, so don't act like you know what's best for me! He is one of the few people I can actually depend on, one of the few people that I-" That's enough. There's no need to go on about things that are more private whilst standing mere metres in front of the entrance of the school.

There's no need to gauge out Bella's reaction either, so I don't meet her eyes, quickly turning to the door instead. There's a warmth on my shoulder, turning my neck slightly I can make out a hand.

"Please wait, Madeline!"

My legs lock despite how much I want them to move, the simple plead and desperation in her voice enough to send me in autopilot.

Her green eyes are alive as they stare into me, like she'd just found something. "That was great!"

My cheeks puff out involuntarily in irritation as I attempt to sidestep her. My attempts work, but only for a moment. She's right back at my side, walking a little ahead of me.

"I know you're mad at me for saying those things about Eye-Arthur, and if I'd known that you cared so much about him, I wouldn't have done that. So, I'm sorry."

Acknowledging her apology, I keep my eyes on level with hers. Now that she's got my attention, her entire posture perks. "But I do just want to point something out to you; did you notice that's the most you've said to me in the entire time I've known you?"

The question goes over my head, I refuse to see what she wants me to. No way am I going to let her think she's right for getting me riled up.

"Yes it took your anger to get you to talk to me, but you did it. In gym yesterday I was talking to you, and in social too. In your car I tried to get you to talk to me and your dad. But, just now, _you_ talked to _me._"

She's obviously not going to let up, and I can, sort of, see her point. I have been basically mute around her, for no good reason other than because she's too bubbly. She's never been mean or rude, only persistent and optimistic. The only reason she even bashed Arthur in the first place is because she wants me to look out for myself. Yes, I have a different idea of defending myself, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"See, now you're smiling!" I hadn't even noticed I was, and I don't have time to wipe it off before Bella is pointing at my mouth, her finger inches from my face. Her smile is wide. " I want us to be friends, Madeline."

"Why?" I am seriously curious. I don't stick out, I don't have interesting things to say. My personality is mediocre, along with most of the things I partake in.

"Because I want to. Does there really need to be any other reason?"

"I guess not…"

Bella let out a happy squeal, grabbed my wrist and ran down the hallway with me in tow. She abruptly stopped at a locker, cupped the lock and proceeded to open it. "What do you have first?"

"English, I think… I haven't memorized my schedule yet."

"I've got theatre study. Guess what? Arthur's in that class." She straightens up suddenly. "Oh, I almost forgot! He calls you Madison, right? That's a pretty god damn weird thing to do."

I was honestly hoping she would never ask about that again, her interrogation being interrupted by Mr. Vargas had left me in high hopes. The relationship between Arthur and I has always been strange.

"W-well, uhm… that's a bit personal. I-I-"

"No worries! If you don't want to talk about it right now, that's fine. I'm not going to try and force info out of you, Madeline, that's not what friends do."

This is surprising. I thought someone like Bella would fight tooth and nail for all the in tell, oblivious to the other's around her. But, here she is, respecting my boundaries, and she doesn't even seem bothered by it.

"Anyways, Arthur was really enthusiastic about theatre studies. He talked a lot during the discussion, but I barely listened since it was so boring. The teacher was pretty impressed though, said something about how he 'hadn't found another person, especially a student, who showed such knowledge and appreciation for the arts'. It was kind of annoying, 'cause Arthur was just grinning at me like I should care. But what I think is the most ridiculous thing about it is that there are different kinds of art, not just old movies that no one watches anymore. There's writing, cooking, painting… hey Madeline, which, out of those three things, do you think he's bad at? He can't be talented at everything."

Why is she talking about Arthur so much? Does she…like him? She never said she does, but maybe she's the type of person who likes to hate-flirt? Oh god, if only just asking her wouldn't be so awkward…

"So, which do you think it is?" Her question snapped me back to reality, her green eyes blinking and expectant.

"Uhm… what?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "What do you think Arthur is bad at? You must know, since you're friends with him and all."

I wouldn't exactly describe me and Arthur as friends, but there's no reason to get into that with Bella at the moment. "He… jeez, I don't know if I should tell you, he'd get embarrassed…"

"So he _is_ bad at something?"

Her anticipation showing so strongly, for some reason, made me giddy. Made me _want_ to tell her. "Just… don't say anything about it, okay?"

"Promise!"

"Alright… well, there was this one time where Arthur came over to my house. My papa had invited him and his parents over, so they could all cook together. It's…kind of a weird hobby of their's, where they just go over to each other's houses and make supper, it makes no sense, but they like it, I guess. My papa had insisted that I join them, so I did. Arthur was in the kitchen too, just watching, and he got all mad when I was allowed to help but he wasn't. His parents gave in, and his job was to grate the cheese and cut some vegetables. By the time he was done, the vegetables were a mushy mess and the cheese… didn't turn out well."

Bella's eyes widened. "He couldn't grate _cheese?_"

I shook my head and Bella giggled. A surge of guilt rushed through me, but I shrug it off. "H-he makes really good tea though…"

"Hmm… well, I'll give him some credit for that."

"Yeah… so, I k-kinda have to go now, it's just that…" I trailed off, noticing the look on Bella's face.

"Why? There's like, thirty minutes left until the first bell rings."

"Y-yes, but… well, uhm…I'm kinda…meeting up with someone…"

"That's not a problem, I'll just come along."

"The-the thing is, she's not… as good around people as me, I guess?"

Bella raised a brow. "You're good around people?"

My entire face turned red, and the comment kind of annoyed me, but I let it slide. "S-she's just more sensitive, she get's upset very easily."

"She's you're friend, right? So I want to be friends with her, too!"

I sigh inwardly. Bella is really turning out to be a handful. "O-okay…she's in the library, so we'll have to be quiet."

"Obviously, Madeline, I've been to the library before! A few times…"

* * *

The library is mostly empty, save for the librarian and a silvery-blonde, busty girl quietly sitting at a desk, a book and binder splayed out before her.

Our library, if it can even be _called_ that anymore, is mostly filled with rows of computers to one side and a study area on the other. The books are in a small, hidden nook where a student would really have to look for it or ask for assistance. There is only one bookcase against the length of the small area's wall, and a few on a display rack. Students rarely even take out books, and most of them probably don't even know we have them.

Kat is one of those students that actually knows of the books existence. She likes to read books of all different genres, but it doesn't make her a genius. Kat and I aren't naturally super intelligent people, we both work hard to make sure we know what we need to. This is only further proven as Bella and I get closer and closer to her table, finally able to make out her assortment of papers and books as studying for Bio. It's the only class I have with her, so I already know she's preparing for the quiz we have next Monday.

It's also the exact reason we planned to meet up at the library.

I take a seat beside Katyusha, then Bella follows suit. Kat finally looks up, meeting my eyes first. She gives me a smile. "Hello, Maddie."

"Hey, Kat, uh… this is-"

"I'm Bella!" The green-eyed girl introduced herself louder than was necessary.  
Kat jumped in her seat at the sudden third party, as well as the hand sticking out to be shaken.

"H-huh?!"

"I-it's okay, Kat, this is Bella." I try to calm my best friend down. It works a bit, Kat's rigidness is gone, completely replaced by a worrying look in her navy eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you? I was a little loud, huh? Most of the time I don't realize I am until-"

"Shh!" The librarian hisses, her face scrunching up in irritation.

"Whoops…" Bella covers her mouth, presumably to hide her mirth. "I'm pretty bad at controlling myself." She admits.

"I'm Katyusha…" Kat says, her voice a near whisper.

"That's a really strange name. I love it! How'd you get it?" Bella seemed genuinely curious, leaning over to hear whatever Kat had to say.

The Ukrainian averted her eyes for a moment, but quickly made eye contact with Bella again. She's not exactly acting how I thought she would, so I pay close attention to her next words, as well.

"My parents… they are very traditional. My grandpa… had been a war veteran. He wasn't in the Ukrainian army since we've lived here for a long time, but I think it's still important." She was slow and hesitant with the explanation, but that was more than she usually gave to strangers.

"Your guys' names are a lot cooler than mine. Bella Janssen? One in five girls from Belgium shares that name."

"I…I think the name is pretty. It sounds nice, and no one asks you about it." Kat said.  
I am left speechless. However, Bella is not.

"You're right, now that I think about it. But still, at least when people ask you about your name, it's something to talk about." Bella pointed out.

"Kat, we should probably get to studying. There's only fifteen minutes left before class starts." I inform, noticing the clock above the doors.

"O-oh, yes! Bella, do you have Biology this term? Maybe you could study with us."

"No, but I don't mind helping! I have it next semester but I'll probably have a few problems with it, helping out might make it easier later."

With the three of us collaborating -Bella asking Kat and I questions from the textbook- we spent the next quarter of an hour preparing for a test a little less than a week from now.

But what I can't help thinking through it all is that somehow, Bella's managed to get someone as quiet and to-themselves as Kat to open up. What stood out even more than that was the fact that_ I_ am starting to warm up to the idea of spending time with her. The most shocking revelation of them all; I don't think I mind.

* * *

**Edited: Fixed how Katyusha got her name. I always thought it sounded kind of Japanese. Since then I searched up the meaning behind it, and it is definitely Ukrainian. I'm sorry if I offended any Ukrainians with my ignorance.**

**Author's Note:**

**An ****_entire chapter_****. Dedicated to a time span of about ****_three hours_****. Before the girl's first class even ****_starts_****. This, my friends, is called slow progress -shot-. Blah, I didn't even ****_mean_**** to make it that long, but I REALLY LOVE writing Belgium and coming up with little head canon's and personality traits for her along the way. I really should've done that earlier lol**

**But guys, there's this one thing. I don't know if I want to add Alfred (America). I like him, but the thing is, his personality really clashes with Bella's and I don't want her to EVER seem like a Mary Sue because of that… and if I do have him, I don't really have him as a super relevant character for the plot as of right now, so… uhm I'm indecisive lol.**

**Last thing before disclaimer: I got a review! My first review EVER! It was left by a guest, so I can't properly thank that person, but whoever you are out there, just know that you made my day, and my day was a really shitty one before that. So thank you. Also it's super cool that people from China, Egypt, Brazil, the UK and other places that are so far away from my home in Alberta have seen this, or at least the first chapter. So yeah, all you peeps from other countries and my fellow Canadians, you're all super awesome. Humanity is super awesome. **

**Unless I somehow turned into a Japanese man and my name is Hima, I don't own Hetalia. (this is the last disclaimer for the story, I think everyone gets that I don't own anything by now)**


	3. Chapter 3

Researching for a project is not fun when your partners are clinically insane. I know this from first hand experience.

"What's wrong with doing France? Madeline is French-Canadian and I've lived right beside it my entire life!"

"Yes, but, if you haven't noticed, I am _English_."

"You're also only one-third of the group."

"I am well aware of that, thank you very much! But I also think my opinion should be respected as such, not to mention Madison hasn't even told us what she would like."

There's a momentary pause. Wait, does this mean they actually want to know what I think? "Well, I-"

"Why _wouldn't_ she want to show everyone a bit of her heritage?"

"Maybe she understands that it's not nearly as complex and interesting as that of the British Empire's."

Bella snorted. "Oh please, spare me."

Needless to say, our computer class wasn't productive in the least. We should have already chosen our nation yesterday, but Bella and Arthur were arguing, just as they are now, over what to choose. It was mostly Bella coming up with a country and Arthur immediately shooting it down. I'm sure the only reason she even puts up with him is because she thinks I'm friends with him, or my suspicions about her liking him are correct. I don't think I want to be right on the latter, though.

Just as I was beginning to zone out on the bickering, Mr. Vargas came behind the three of us, clearing his throat. I whipped around, seeing glaring amber eyes and crossed arms. "What are you three doing?"

"W-we're…"

"I'm afraid Bella isn't working out as our partner, sir, you should place her in another group."

"Just getting started! We've picked France!"

Arthur's spluttering was entirely ignored by both Bella and Mr. Vargas. Yet again, our teacher acts as if Bella represents all three of us. "Good, you'd better get to it. This is the only class time you'll be having." He doesn't even look at Arthur or me, going back to whatever he was doing.

"You can't just speak for us, for god's sake! You're literally the only one whose said they wanted France."

"Will you be quiet already?" Bella asked as she booted up her computer. "So here's how this is going to go. I'll design the power point and find pictures and Madeline will find the factors improving national pride. Arthur, I think you'd be satisfied with searching up decreasing factor's?"

Arthur is still very obviously displeased with the topic of our project, it's not hard to tell with his scowl. "Fine." Yep. Super pissed.

Bella doesn't seem to care, a happy smile on her face as she scrolls around on the computer, opening up the power point and getting started on the title page. Surprisingly, all three of us manage to follow our tasks to a tee. Arthur went the extra mile. He found six decreasing factors and explained them in ridiculously long points, analyzing each and every fault. It kind of hurts my feelings how much he's enjoying himself with it.

"Arthur do you even realize how much of an ass you're being?" Bella asks, interrupting Arthur in his near speech of the problems with France.

"What? How can you be anything _but_ glad that I have followed your orders? I don't see how I'm being an arse."

"You're probably only being such a jerk about this because you want to prove a point or something to me, but I'm not the one whose got a French background."

"What are you even talking about?"

Bella looks at me, a small, sympathetic smile on her face. I really appreciate her sticking up for me like that, so, in gratitude, I return the smile. "Whatever, Arthur. You shouldn't focus so much on trying to one-up people, by the way. There are more important things."

Arthur was speechless. For a few seconds, anyways. "You should talk, you've barely even started finding pictures."

Bella didn't let his comment faze her, turning back to continue to work on our project. The class went by with some snide remarks from both of them, but it never got out of hand. Finally, the bell rang, and Bella jumped out of her seat like it caught on fire, momentarily startling me.

"Come on, Madeline, we've got gym!"

I barely have time to turn my computer off before she grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the seat. Once we're in the hall, she lets go of my hand and skips in the direction of the change rooms.

It's so strange, the way she glides through the narrow halls, never bumping into anyone and going completely unnoticed. Every so often she looks back to make sure I'm still behind her, then silently moves forward. I never thought that someone with her nature could be so quiet, so apart of her surroundings.

Once we get to the change room, she disappears to her locker a few rows away from mine. At least gym class won't be too bad with her around, I can have a guaranteed partner for tennis and badminton. I don't even know what I was going to do about those paired sports before, but I guess I would've just waited until someone else didn't have a partner, either. Then again-

A shoulder bumps into mine, hard. My hand instinctively comes up to cover it, and I draw into myself. My arm stings, it'll probably bruise with my luck.

"Sorry about that."

It's the blonde girl from yesterday. Her eyes are a hard brown, her face sneering, showing that she obviously did it on purpose. When I don't say anything, she snorts and continues walking further down towards her own locker. I watch her for a few seconds, in disbelief of how rude some people can be, before getting changed into the rest of my clothes and exiting the change room.

She doesn't bother me after that, maybe because Bella got to the gym before she did and immediately came to talk to me. It's almost like I wasn't harassed, the way Bella goes on about normally and none of the other girls had witnessed it. Which is curious, I thought she only cared about bugging me while in front of everyone else like yesterday, but today… it was just me and her. No one else saw the way I didn't fight back, no one saw her sneer or heard her fake apology and condescending snort. Her little show was just for us, and that's really alarming. It could mean the only reason she bothers me is because she seriously enjoys it.

What's her name, anyways? I had hardly paid attention to the introductions yesterday. I don't even remember seeing her amongst the other girls' faces. Either way, I should steer clear of her.

When she does finally enter the gym three minutes late with two other girls in tow, she only gives me a sideways glance, then sits down with her friends at the polar opposite of Bella and I. Hopefully it's the last bit of acknowledgment she gives me today. For the entire class, Mrs. Mitchell goes over what we'll be doing in gym this term and our upcoming field trip to Camp Encounter. She went through everything in such great detail that she only just handed out the field trip and medical form five minutes before we had to go and change.

So basically, there was no point in us changing at all.

Once everyone gets their forms we're allowed to leave, Bella hooks her arm through mine this time as we make our way through the mostly empty hallway together on our way to the change room. Bella talks a lot, and I usually only half listen.

I don't think she minds, though. I think she just likes having someone else around. It's not like I don't want to listen to her, either, she just talks so fast and changes the subject every second sentence that I easily get lost in her barrage of words. Instead of changing by her own locker, Bella comes over to my row and changes next to me while continuing her conversation, just like yesterday. I catch little pieces of what she's saying; something about her brother wanting her to take shorter showers so they can save money, and a music class she's thinking of signing up for?

It's all so random and none of it connects that I simply tune her out once more. It's not like it matters too much if I listen in, anyways, she doesn't pause long enough for me to add a comment. I'm starting to think it's because she knows that I'm not paying attention. Really, Bella is a lot more perceptive than she appears, she understands things well and learns what's acceptable and what's not easily. Of course I'm basing all this off of how she interacts with Arthur and me. I think I'm a pretty good judge of character even if I don't understand people too well, so I believe my assumptions are founded. According to me.

"Hey, Madeline, look at this!" The sound of my name is enough to catch my attention, my neck snaps to my left. My eyes fall on Bella pointing to a bright orange poster, a wide grin on her face. On closer inspection, the poster reads 'CHEER SQUAD TRYOUTS!' and under that 'NEXT FRIDAY!' in smaller letters. There's a girl in a cheerleader uniform, one hand in the air and feet spread apart in a stiff cheer position.

"Y-yeah?"

"I was thinking about joining the team yesterday when I saw the poster, but I forgot to tell you about it! Don't you think it would be fun?"

"T-that depends on your definition of fun…"

"Aw, c'mon, don't be such a downer! I heard most of the squad was made up of twelfth graders last year, so a lot of the positions are open this year! Plus someone told me that since they're all gone, our squad is gonna suck and they'll pretty much accept anyone!"

"You sound a little too happy about that…"

"Well of course, it makes trying out so much easier. I usually suck at performing when under pressure, so it takes out a lot of stress. I used to do gymnastics when I was younger, ya know."

"So you don't anymore?"

"Nope! Life kinda got in the way."

"That's no reason to-"

"Anyways, I wonder if I can still do the splits. I was the first in my class to pull it off, everyone else was asking me how to do if for weeks after. I was really proud of myself. Now, let's see…"

My brain doesn't fully process what's going on as Bella jumps into the air, spreading her legs apart. Her left leg lays out before her while the right is splayed out behind. Her hands are on either side of her, supporting the weight. Once she's in correct form, she brings both hands above her head, separating her fingers in a finishing pose. "Ta-da!"

"E-eh?!"

"Wah!" A sudden cry could be heard as a third parties footfalls came closer. Dragging my eyes away from Bella, I find that the new person is Kat. She's got tears in her eyes and her hands are cupping her face. She looks pretty worried.

"B-Bella, are you okay?"

"She's fine, Kat, she was just seeing if she could do the splits." I explain. I think I'm starting to get a headache.

"S-seeing? So you didn't even know if you could do it? T-that's so dangerous, Bella, you could've gotten really hurt, or someone else could've came down the hall and both of you could've gotten injured-"

Bella's sudden outburst of laughter interrupted Katyusha. The Belgian leaped up from her split, legs coming together again. She patted the silvery-blonde on the head. "It's okay, Kat! See-" She spins around once. "-I'm completely intact! Not a hair out of place. I was just seeing if I could still do the splits, and Madeline was here to make sure nothing went wrong."

Well, that's a blatant lie.

"R-really?"

Bella nods. "Yep! I was mostly practicing for the cheer tryouts." She tips her head to the poster, Kat's eyes following. There's a moment of silence as she takes the poster in.

"Oh, I see."

"So Kat, do you wanna join the squad with me?"

"H-huh?! I don't know if I'm-"

"Why not? You do Ukrainian dances, right? It's not exactly the same as cheering, but they're both forms of dancing, so how different can they really be? Besides, the team needs members, they're desperate! This is your chance to do something fun!"

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one who think's it'll be fun…" I say, but my words are ignored.

"D-do you really think they'd want me? I don't know how to do the splits, or flips…"

"Sure they will, you've just got to be a little flexible is all!"

"O-okay, I'll try."

Bella swings her arm around Katyusha's shoulders. "That's the spirit! I'll even help you figure out a routine and we can practice it together!"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

"Hey, Madeline, do you want to join with us?"

A sudden flash of a memory comes to mind. Two other girls injured, ripped tights, the whole studio nearly being caught on fire…

"N-no! I-I mean, I'd be no good at it! Could you imagine me cheering on our team at football games? I would probably make us do worse than we usually do…ha-ha-ha…"

Bella raised a brow, but appeared to let it slid. "That's alright! You can come to the game and be our little insider amongst the fans. They won't even know we've got someone working for us on the other side, encouraging them to shout along with us…"

"I don't think I'd make a very good secret weapon…"

"Nonsense, you're perfect! No one expects the quiet ones, after all…"

"Hey, Bella!" All three of us turn to the source of the noise.

I have never seen anyone like him before. Stark white hair, very pale skin and blood red eyes. The only thing I can do is stare as he comes over to the three of us, eyes focused on our sunny blonde Belgian.

"Yeah, Gilbert?"

"Heard you were going to join the cheer team." He says, half smiling. I didn't know people actually _did_ that. Then again, I didn't think I'd ever see anyone with red eyes, either.

"Wow, word really travels fast, huh? Well, you caught me, I am!" She pulled Kat to her side. "I got her to agree to try out, too!"

"Hmm… they'll probably let anyone in these days." Even though it's true, he still sounds kind of snarky about it. He sort of reminds me of the girl in my gym class, except… I don't know, he's just bit different.

"What about her?" It takes me a second to realize he was talking about me. I tuck in my chin, avoiding eye contact now that he was looking directly at me.

"No, she isn't."

Gilbert gives a short laugh. He just makes it into my line of vision by leaning over a little. There's a heat crawling up my neck that I really wish would go away. "You afraid of dancing for me?"

A little yelp escapes my lips that I can't control, and Gilbert tosses his head back, laughing really weirdly. "Oh, man, who is this chick, Bell? And how come you haven't told me about her?"

"Maybe because you would act the way you are right now?" Bella says smartly, walking up to him. "Now would you stop harassing my friend, please? She isn't used to being talked to that way."

"Maybe someone should change that."

"Not any time soon, they aren't. Now don't you have somewhere to go? Pretty sure you don't want to waste your lunch break on us."

"You are so considerate, Bella, but I think I like it with you guys just fine." He says this with a grin.

"Fine, I guess that means you won't mind coming to the bathroom with us? I've gotta touch up my face, and-"

Gilbert steps back, his smile gone. "No, that's fine. I am way too awesome to be caught in there. Just wanted to see if you really were going to join."

He steps back further. "Why do you even care?" Bella inquires.

"The cheerleaders last year were all butter faces, just wanted to make sure we were gonna get someone who's actually hot to 'inspire' our boys."

"Well that's great to know." Bella says sarcastically.

"Try getting twin tails over there to join, too, watching three babes jump around in front of some bleachers would actually make going to these games worth it."

Gilbert gives me a once over before turning around and leaving. "That's not helping!" Bella calls out to his retreating back. Gilbert brings his hand up in a wave without looking back at us.

"So…cool…" I whisper.

"O-oh my gosh, I can't go out in front of everyone in a cheerleading uniform! I-I'll look so weird, and people will be looking at me!" Katyusha was panicking.

Bella waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Kat." She starts walking ahead of us towards the cafeteria. Katyusha and I trail behind. "He just wants to rile us up, is all. In fact, he would probably think of it as an accomplishment if you didn't come to tryouts. That's how egotistical he is in thinking he can manipulate people. Luckily for you I can see through his tricks, he won't be ruining your second year of high school any time soon."

"I-I don't know, Bella… if he's going to be at every game, then maybe all of them are going to be like that…"

Bella spun around, walking backwards. She rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt people who are actually interested in watching the game will be horning over any of us, especially not the parents, who, I might add, make up most of the crowd. Besides, he probably won't be going to any of the games."

"W-why not? Isn't he apart of the team?"

Bella snorted. "Gilbert? No way."

"How do you know him, Bella?" I asked.

This time my input did not go unnoticed. "He's in my math class and sits right next to me. We get along pretty well since we both copy off this one guy's work. I think his name is Kiku? He asked me and Gilbert to call him Kiku-san, so I'm pretty sure he's Japanese… do you guys know him?"

The name wasn't familiar, so I shook my head. Kat did, too.

"Huh. He speaks English fluently and doesn't have much of an accent, so I think he was born here. Gilbert and I think he's just super into anime and likes that sort of thing. It works for him either way. But yeah, Gilbert doesn't do any sports, as far as I know. He's pretty popular, though."

"I've never seen him around before." Katyusha said.

"Seriously? Pretty hard to miss him with his big mouth and ego. Oh, yeah, and he's albino. That's probably why he's so popular, actually. With a condition like that you're bound to stick out. He has to be either known as a cool guy or a freak."

The way Bella shared was like none of it affected her, and I guess it didn't. But what was so unnerving about it was that she knows Gilbert, yet she can still give an analysis on him without any feeling, like she was just reading aloud a section from a book. Is she like that with everyone? Never mind, I don't think I want to know.

"When you put it like that, I feel bad for him…" Kat said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"There's no need for that, Kat! Didn't you see him? He was all smooth and a little bad-boyish. He definitely got Madeline swooning."

"E-eh?!" I spluttered, abruptly stopping.

"You think so?" Kat went on, like I wasn't actually here. This whole entire thing is getting a little annoying.

"I know so! The way she blushed when he got closer and made that little squeal. Did you see her watch him as he walked off, there were hearts in her eyes! It was so cute!" Bella squealed herself.

Kat turned to me, her navy eyes sparkling. "Is that true, Maddie? I didn't think boys like him were your type, it's surprising-"

"O-of course not! Bella is just making weird assumptions."

"Oh dear, sweet, innocent, precious little Madeline." She walks up to me, squishing my cheeks. "Precious sweetie sweetheart, don't think I didn't notice you saying he's 'so cool'." Bella is smiling a little creepily, but I don't see it for long, opting to hiding my face behind me hands.

"Ah! Y-you heard me?!"

Kat gasps. "You said that, Maddie?"

"S-she's taking it out of context!"

"Then how did you really mean it?" Bella asks, feigning innocence.

I knew it. She is bad news in a headband. "I-I didn't think anyone was listening!"

"Oh dear little Madeline, just because someone doesn't respond doesn't mean they can't hear you!"

"W-why are you teasing me…?"

"I am not, I think it's cute!"

"Me, too!" Kat proclaims.

"K-Kat?! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?!"

"I am, Maddie! You never really liked anyone before, I thought you were asexual for awhile, then I thought you had a long-time crush on Arthur-"

"S-seriously? Why did you think all this?!"

"-but I'm just so happy that you might like someone! I was worried for awhile that you would end up alone."

"W-what about you?! You don't talk to guys much, either."

"T-that's different… I've told you about my crushes before… you've never said anything to me about boys…" She looks down at the floor.

I feel a pang of guilt. She's right, of course, I really don't talk much about boys. In truth, I don't really know why, but with Kat I've always felt like I didn't need to talk about the stereotypical things that girls usually talk about on T.V. I didn't think we needed to give each other makeovers, flirt, gossip, go shopping, share secrets (I already tell her most everything) or any of that. I thought we could just be ourselves. But maybe she wanted to do all those things, but was too afraid to ask me.

"I… never thought it was worth writing home about…" I admit. There's a thick silence in the air.

Bella was the one to break it. "How can you express your feelings to the guy you like without even telling your best girlfriend about it?! You are seriously messed up, Madeline." For a second I thought she was being serious, until I look into her playful green eyes. "I already told your dad I'd fix you, and I will."

"I-I don't need to be fixed, Bella…"

"Sure you do! You never seem to have fun or relax! Those things are important, too."

"I have fun! I play hockey all the time."

"Okay, but how is hockey relaxing, exactly?"

"U-uh…"

"See, it's not! It's fun, but it doesn't help your calm levels. Let's sit at this table." We've already made it to the cafeteria, where students are gathered at multiple tables, laughing and chatting with their friends. Bella plops herself down at an empty table, then Kat sits to the right of Bella. I sit down beside Kat, making the Ukrainian the one in the middle.

"The point is, you like Gilbert."

"N-no! Jeez, I just met him today…"

"Okay, fine. You find him attractive. Is that acceptable?"

"I-I g-guess…"

Kat grabbed my arm. "I am so excited for you, Maddie!"

"Why? It's not like I've actually done anything about it."

"Don't sell yourself short, Madeline, he called you a babe, after all" Bella encouraged.

"I don't really think that's much of an accomplishment…"

"Sure it is! It means he finds you attractive, too. Gilbert, despite all his bravado, is fairly simple. I don't know that much about him, but simplicity is something I can be sure of. I was pretty surprised when I noticed you liked him, since I thought… well, it doesn't matter. It's just that your personalities are so different. But opposites attract, so maybe I should've seen it coming…"

"Hi, Bella!" this voice was feminine. I turned to face the newcomer, a girl with very long, wavy brown hair and piercing green eyes.

"Oh, hey, Elizabeta! What's up?"

The girl, Elizabeta, sat down across from us. "I heard you were joining the cheer squad." She informs.

God, how many people _know_ about this?

"Yeah, I'm trying out next Friday! How'd you know?"

"I heard Gilbert talking about it with Roderich."

"Really? Don't those two hate each other?"

The brunette nodded. "Yep." She tossed a plastic bag onto the table's surface then pulled out a sandwich. "I punched Gilbert in the gut to get him to stop bothering us."

I'm starting to feel awkward. Bella and Elizabeta seem to be friends, and I've never met the latter before. Looking over at Katyusha, I can see she's uncomfortable, too. Her eyes are cast downwards and her arms are very close to her sides.

"I'm also getting Kat here to join, too!" Bella clamped her hand onto Katyusha's shoulder. "But she's starting to have reservations 'cause of what Gilbert said earlier."

The brunette's eyes widened and focused on Kat. "What did Gilbert do to you? I swear to God if he said anything to offend you-"

"Oh no, it wasn't that extreme, Liz! He was basically saying that he was glad we were thinking of joining the squad 'cause of our looks. That's it."

Elizabeta narrowed her eyes. "You're just making it sound nice for his sake. He was probably making a bunch of perverted comments, wasn't he?"

"I guess it could have seemed like that-"

"See, that guy's a sick pig! Someone needs to put him in his place-"

"Calm down, Liz, aren't you two childhood friends? Or like hate-friends? I don't even really know, but it's something like that, right? At least, that's the sort of feeling it has…"

"You may be right, but I'm probably the only reason he isn't in jail right now and acts somewhat decent half the time. What he's done to your poor friend is a prime example of how much of a douche he can be sometimes."

"You don't even know what actually happened." Bella pointed out.

"So? Your lack of info shows me all I need to know." She took a bite of her sandwich.

"At least he did provide something."

"What, exactly?"

"That girls shouldn't be prancing around in skirts at six o'clock to 'encourage' a bunch of hormonal boys. They don't even have a female football team here, yet they expect girls to full-heartedly agree to cheer around for them like damsels? What is up with that?"

"That's a good point."

"U-um… they did try having one for girls, but every time they never got enough to make a full team…" Kat helpfully pointed out. Elizabeta didn't hear her, but Bella and I did.

"Kat just raised an important fact!" Bella yelled, one hand pointed in the air like she just gave an answer to a very important question. A few heads turned to the noise, but other than that the student body didn't seem to care. "In the past they tried having a girls football team, but no one was interested. They can't keep having tryouts if nothing ever comes of it."

"Hmm… well then obviously it's us girls faults. We have been so brainwashed into thinking it's a man's sport that women have no place in it. I say bullshit! I can do anything I want to do, whether I have these things-" She cupped her own boobs. "or not. It shouldn't matter what my gender is."

"Whoa, girl, hold steady!" Bella laughed. "You can run for Prime Minister if you want to! But when you make your speech, please, oh please, don't forget us little people." Bella held her hands together, mock begging.

Elizabeta rolled her eyes. Then she looked directly at me. I involuntarily let out a little yelp that, hopefully, she hadn't heard. "What about you? Are you joining the brainwashed damsel squad?"

"I-I-"

"No, she isn't." Bella answered for me.

Elizabeta gave me a smile. "See, Bella, even your friend knows her principles."

"It's not about principles, Liz, she just can't dance."

"Same thing if it means she isn't joining. Can't believe you still want to even after Gilbert was such a creep."

"I'm not going to _not_ do something just because of someone else. I think it would be worse than just giving up before even trying."

"Your principles are twisted." Elizabeta said bluntly.

Bella shrugged. "They're mine and that's good enough for me. Maybe you should try thinking like me every once in awhile, then you wouldn't get yelled at by Mr. Fleiss that way."

"Yeah, right, he just doesn't understand what it means to be a girl. Like most men, except for Roderich."

"Yes, Roderich is so perfect. We should all just bow at his feet, shouldn't we, if he can understand women so well."

"Don't make fun of him!" Elizabeta finished up her sandwich and rose from her seat.

"Wait, Liz, you should join, too."

"So I suppose you haven't heard any of what I just said?"

"It will be so much fun, Liz! Didn't you mention you can ballroom dance before?"

"How the hell is that even similar to cheerleading?"

"It's not, but it's still a great way to get exercise. Plus, if you join the team, maybe you can change things."

The brunette sat right back down. "Change things? How?"

"With you on the team, you can get info on the conspiracy of the cheer squad from the inside! Come this time next year, we may even have a football team."

Elizabeta narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "How would that work?"

"You can encourage the girls that don't make it to start their own team, or you can get support from them if you decide to make one. Word can get around to other schools, and before you know it, all the high schools will have one."

"Wow… that sounds amazing."

"But only you can do it. I'm not interested in making a football team, and I don't think Kat would be up to slamming herself into other people."

"Well…" We all waited on baited breathe for her answer. "I'll think about it. But! I make no promises."

"That's all I really want, Liz." Bella smiled at the brunette, watching as she got up from her seat and exited the cafeteria.

"D-did you just… manipulate her?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm a lot better at it than Gilbert is, aren't I?"

"H-how do you know her, Bella?" Kat asked.

"She's in my cooking class, we're in the same kitchen with Roderich, this guy named Vash and a girl named Lili. I think Vash and Lili are siblings, they look a lot alike."

"She knows Gilbert?" I asked, my voice small.

Bella made eye contact with me, a small smile on her face. "Oh, don't worry about that, Madeline. Liz is dating Roderich. She adores him, and they're so cute together! Don't worry, her and Gilbert are friends but I don't see them liking each other any time soon."

"How are you friends with all these people already, Bella? School only started yesterday, and you've only started going here this year…" Kat brings up a really good point, as I myself don't understand Bella's apparent popularity.

"I think that it's just that I like people! Everyone is so interesting, whether they're good people or not. But I've also noticed that when you open yourself up to other people, you start to understand that someone's 'goodness' is dependant on who you ask."

"You just sounded so mature…" Kat says quietly.

"No way, I only sounded like a smart-ass."

"Well, I can't believe you just got that girl to think about joining the squad. She seemed so against it."

"She wanted to join the squad and we all know it. If she didn't then she wouldn't have jumped at the opportunity I was giving her. She just needed a good excuse to save face is all."

"How do you mean?"

"Since yesterday all she's talked about is feminist stuff, it would make her look bad if she all of a sudden wanted to join the squad with how much she puts down 'women bashing'. Besides, even when she isn't discussing those things, she brings that passion to everything she does. I think that would make a good quality in a cheerleader, don't you?"

"W-when you put it that way…"

"What about you, Madeline, what do you think of what just happened?"

"I… I don't know! I mean, you didn't force her or anything, so it wasn't that bad, and all of what you said could be possible… but I don't think it was the nicest thing to do. Why do you want her to join anyways?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want to have a great school year with all my friends!"

"Well it was a very dishonest way to go about it…"

Bella either didn't hear me or pretended not to. "So, how about it, Madeline? Do you want to be a cheerleader with the rest of us?"

* * *

**Author's** **note**:

**Whelp**. **I just** **introduced** a **shit** **ton** **of** **characters**.

**Vash**=**Switzerland**

**Lili**=**Liechtenstein**

**Elizabeta**=**Hungary**

**Roderich**=**Austria**

**Gilbert**=**Prussia**

**Kiku**=**Japan**

**Just** **in** **case** **you** **get** **confused** **with** **the** **names**. **AustriaxHungary**, **anyone? No? Just** **me?** **Okay… (sadface)** **But** **honestly I do** **like** **them** **together. I also like** **PruHun** **and** **PruAus…** (**PRUxAUSxHUN** **FTW)** **Oh**, **and I have decided** **to** **add** **Alfred** **in** **the** **future!** **He** **is** **just** **too** **cute** _**not**_ **to** **add**, **ya know? Also, I want to update this story once every weekend. Happy reading and thank you for taking a look at this :)****  
**


	4. Chapter 4

You know that feeling you get at the pit of your stomach? It feels kind of light and heavy at the same time, growing and growing until you feel like you're going to burst, and no matter how much you tell yourself that everything is going to be okay and that it'll all be over soon, it doesn't go away. I used to think everyone felt like that when they're about to present.

Then again, I don't think most people are like Bella.

During other groups presentations she's been tapping her fingers lightly against her desk, only loud enough for me to hear. The rhythmic noise has only increased my stress. I haven't really seen the need to tell her to stop, though, even if it annoys me to no end. I'm sure if Arthur could hear her, he would already be barking at her to quit it. A group on Mexico have just finished their presentation.

"Who wants to go next?" Mr. Vargas calls in a bored tone.

"We do!" Bella shouts enthusiastically. I honestly have no idea why she's so excited for this, she hasn't shown much of an interest in school for the past couple days. Arthur is glaring at her, letting her know that going up in front of the class was the last thing he wanted to do. Bella seems to see this.

"Better now than later, right?"

Neither of us answer, getting out of our seats and walking up to the front of the class. Bella goes over to the computer, signs into her account, then fiddles around until she pulls up the power point. Our project shows up on the smart board, the entirety of the French flag, blue red and white, taking up the whole screen. At the bottom right corner, our names can be seen; Madeline Bonnefoy, Arthur Kirkland and Bella Janssen.

Looking over at Arthur, it's clear to see that he's not irritated anymore. His features are smoothed out and his lips aren't turned into a sneer or scowl. I'm glad, he needs to calm down a little sometimes and not let everything get under his skin. Too bad he's the most stubborn person I've ever met and would sooner save his pride than do what's good for him.

I zone out a bit on what he's saying, focusing on the corner of the room. I admit it's a nasty habit of mine, pretending that I'm not actually here, like I'm just looking in. It helps the jittery feeling, at least. All too soon, I realize Arthur has stopped talking.

And everyone is staring at me.

Oh god, when did he finish his part? How long have I been standing here, looking like a complete idiot? No one is saying anything and of course they're not because I'm supposed to be presenting! Okay, Madeline, calm down, deep breathes.

In, out. In, out. "U-uhm… France had been, well, it had been-" Oh yeah, the power point has everything on it! There is no need to stress, I've just got to recite. The first point talks about the revolution, just read and repeat. Don't forget to breathe, now.

"D-during the French Revolution, uhm… national pride in France… well, it really increased!" A breathy laugh escapes my lips but dies quickly as my eyes scan the class, not a friendly face in sight. "P-partially because of all the enlightened p-philosophers, and uh… Napoleon, too. Napoleon was, well, he had been a-an icon…" My voice grows quieter and quieter as the inevitable happens.

My mouth seizes to move, just like it usually does at times like these. There are some days when I'm okay with public speaking, and others, like these, where I can't. There is no exact pattern to it, just my mind going into over drive. The worst thing is that I'm aware of how badly I'm messing up, that if only I could just raise my voice a little, keep my head high, than I would get through it fine. I know that if I could just do it properly, no one would make a big deal. Ironically, it seems that the more worried you are about doing something, the more people will notice.

There's a quick movement and the sound of scraping against the floor that converts everyone's attention. " Yeah, that Napoleon guy was a real war hero! He conquered surrounding kingdom's, took control of others, and pretty much ruled Europe for awhile. It wasn't until he made the mistake of cutting off people's trades with the British that Spain, Portugal and Britain decided to fight back! He was getting cocky, anyways, and the revolutionists were starting to get annoyed with him, too. Next slide!"

Bella had captured everyone's eyes, we were all watching as she skipped over to the computer once more, leaned over, and clicked the image. Another slide popped up, then she came right back to stand beside me. "Lot's of things are named after the French, like the French toast, French fries… funny thing is, France didn't even invent either of those things. But that's okay, because French food is still awesome! They make crepes and omelettes and they've got some of the best wine… they seriously know how to cook. Moving on!"

She repeats the same process. "France has amazing architecture, with really famous landmarks! Like the Eiffel Tower, or the Arc de Triomphe… people come from all over the world just to snap pictures. One lady even tried to marry the Eiffel Tower. Talk about an awkward honey moon, am I right?" There was a chorus of chuckles. " Also, did you know that the same guy who made the Statue of Liberty also made the Eiffel Tower?"

"Next is the French Revolution itself! Like Madeline said, it was partially because philosophers had sparked a change there! They were challenging people's ways of thinking, especially the working class citizens. Many of those philosophers works has influenced how the western world is today. Before, most people were incredibly poor in France, and when a country is poor, they don't usually have a very good image of their country. Once the Revolution started, people were so excited about having a say and making a difference in their country that it made them love what France would become. And that's pretty much it for our project!" The class erupted into applause.

I rushed back to my seat immediately, ducking my head once I get there. It's just so embarrassing to have someone come to rescue, even if I needed the help.

"I would say it was an improvement on how you would used go about presenting, Madison."

Slowly, I lift my head to see Arthur. As usual he isn't making eye contact with me. I've always found that odd, no matter how many times he addresses me, he's almost never just looked at me. Instead, he focuses his eyes forward or just to the left or really anywhere else. But as soon as he gets into an argument with someone, they get his full attention. We've never argued before.

"Thanks, Arthur."

He shrugs, then flips through some papers, my cue that he's done talking. Luckily I don't have to feel awkward for long, as Bella had finished closing the power point and logging off her account, now skipping back to us.

"Hey Madeline, me and Kat are going to practice our routine after school today in the park near the school. Do you want to come?"

"You aren't trying to get me to join still, are you?" I had already turned down the offer multiple times to the disappointment of Kat, Bella and Elizabeta. It seemed that now everyday at lunch me, Kat and Bella would go to the cafeteria, and about fifteen minutes in Elizabeta would join us. I think Kat has gotten used to her already.

Bella waved me off. "I'm done with trying to convince you of anything, stubborn lady."

"I'm not stubborn, just reasonable."

"If you were reasonable you would have given yourself some time to think about it before making a decision." She pointed out.

"I-I just have bad e-experience with that sort of thing…"

"So you would let that stop you?"

"I almost b-burned down the entire studio on my second day!" I squeaked.

Bella's eyes widened. Her whole face turned red, and her cheeks puffed out. Her hand raced to cover her mouth as she bowed her head, muffled laughter barely escaping her lips. "Y-you…how could you…o-oh my god…!"

My eyes narrow into a glare, but I'm not really feeling it. Of course she would think it's funny, it hasn't actually happened to her. Hell, the whole entire thing has become less scarring over time. Doesn't mean I'm going to be joining any dance studios any time soon, but I have more or less gotten over the incident.

Finally Bella calmed down, I'm just surprised Mr. Vargas hasn't chewed us out for disrupting another groups presentation. The group up right now is talking about Greece, but I haven't really been listening so far. My eyes are glued to the clock, time dragging by slowly with only five minutes left until lunch.

I do sort of want to join the cheer team, if only because Kat and… -and maybe Bella are going to. There is no guarantee that either of them will make the cuts, but if they do… wouldn't I just be left in the dust? Sure, I could go to the games, practices or competitions that they participate in, but it wouldn't be the same thing. Bella would make friends with everyone, and Kat would probably ditch me to hang out with them. Maybe I'm just being stupid, since Kat could've always just ditched me to find other friends, but it's still worrying. Then what would I do? The only person I would have left is…Arthur.

Oh god, please don't make me be stuck with him.

My mind floods with guilt for just thinking that. Arthur may not always be the most considerate person out there, but he has his moments and, I think, generally cares about people. Even if he always claims not to, insults strangers, society, peers, literature, pop culture… okay, sometimes it's hard to see where the caring actually comes from, but only a few minutes ago he assured me I was doing better! Only someone who cared would do something like that! Unless he actually was making an observation for the sake of observation, I honestly have no clue with him. It doesn't even matter, Arthur is… sort of my friend, and that's what really counts!…Right?

There's a ringing in my ears, and just before I can register it as the bell, Bella grabs my wrist and pulls us out of the class faster than anyone else has time to even get up. She leads us down the hall towards her locker.

"I am so glad that's over with, working with Arthur sucks."

"But you chose to-"

"What do you think our next project will be about? We're going to be partners, and no Arthur."

"I-I don't think that's really okay, Arthur doesn't have very many friends, and none in our class, so I kind of feel-"

Bella groaned. "You are way too nice to him, ya know. But fine, he can potentially be our partner next time. If Mr. Vargas only allows groups of two, I have first dibs." Bella closed her locker and stood up. We began walking towards my locker.

"B-Bella, Maddie, please wait!" A melodic voice called. Looking over my shoulder, I spot Kat running around groups of students, carrying some books with her. We both stood around for her.

Kat's smile is bright and warm. "How was your presentation?"

"It was okay, but Madeline choked up a bit."

"Oh my…" Kat put a hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid to speak in public." It's what she says every time I freeze while presenting assignments. I have no idea if it actually helps.

"Yeah, Arthur said I'm getting better though." Bella tilted her head at this while Kat gave me an odd look. "When did he tell you that?" Bella asked.

"When we went back to our desks."

"Hmm…" What is that even supposed to mean?

"Maybe he's right." Kat stated and removed her hand from my shoulder. "He probably knows you better than I do, so if he thinks so, he could be right."

Wait, does she seriously think he knows me better than her? She's the one that knows about how sad I was when Kumarie had to get a surgery three years ago, she's the one that knows about how I felt when I didn't get picked for a hockey team I wanted to switch to and how I felt when we kicked said teams ass in city's, she knows about all the tests I had to take to see if I'm normal, she's the one who knows the most about me besides my parents, and she's the one who's actually bothered to know me.

I take a deep breathe, attempting to, or at least repressing my irritation. Maybe I will ask her why she would ever make that assumption, but right now is not the time. "I wouldn't know."

We get to my locker, and once there, I deposit my things and grab my lunch bag. We head to Kat's locker and do the same thing, finally making our way to the cafeteria. Somehow my eyes find the blood red ones of Gilbert, but I don't think he's noticed me. He's with a group of guys, and they're all laughing and having a good time.

"Do… do you guys really think that…" My cheeks heat up. "N-never mind!"

"What is it, Madeline? You can't just start to ask a question and not finish it."

"Well, uhm… w-what you said before, about G-Gilbert possibly…maybe… I-I don't know…"

"Oh, I get it! You mean if he might like you!" Bella looked relieved, for some reason. "I don't know! Gilbert gets distracted easily, the best way to get him is to keep his attention. You sort of did that when you first met him, but if he hasn't talked to you yet it means he's lost interest."

"O-oh…" Well, so much for that crush. But really, with my personality it wouldn't have worked out well, anyways.

"But that's no reason to lose hope! You made a good first impression, and that's what counts. I would only tell you to give up if he hadn't even looked at you before. Boys may be of simple mind, but it takes a complex plan to get them to like you without seeming desperate or obvious."

"Couldn't she just tell him she likes him? I think he liked her enough…" Kat gave some input.

"No, she doesn't need to appear easy, especially with her look."

"My…look?"

"Yeah! You don't look like the type to be seductive at all. You aren't sexy, you're shy and cute. If you tried acting sexy at first… it would look really weird."

"Uh…okay?"

Bella nodded in agreement. "Glad we're on the same page! All we need to focus on now is what you'll do next."

"Why does there have to be a next…" I murmured into my arms. There is no way Bella is going to let this go any time soon.

I think she's decided to ignore me. "The best course of action to take next would be the cheer team. He already thinks you could be on it, he might be curious to see if you actually went for it or not."

"Bella…"

"I know, I know, you don't want to because you're a klutz. That's fine, I just wanted to bring it up to see if some new… 'motivation' would persuade you." She wiggled her brows and Kat giggled.

"That is so wrong…" I whispered.

"But that means that whatever you do next has to be even more noticeable. Something the entire school would know about."

"Does it really have to be that big?"

"Does what have to be that big?" It's Elizabeta, plopping herself down in the seat across from me and beside Bella.

"What Madeline has to do next." Bella explained, pulling some pudding out of her bag.

"What did she do first?" The brunette asks conversationally, pulling out a sandwich. She takes a giant bite.

"Not much, actually. She just made a good impression on one-"

"Ha-ha-ha! I just uhm… I was the only one Mr. Vargas hasn't yelled at yet! Bella thinks I could be a teacher's pet." Oh god, I just interrupted Bella.

"Mr. Vargas? He's not a bad teacher, strict but fair. I'm friends with his brother, Feli."  
Bella's eyes widened, hopefully forgetting about her match-making plans.

"You're friends with one of the Vargas brothers?"

Elizabeta didn't seem to notice the excitement in Bella's voice. "Yes, I've known them for a long time. Feli and I went to the same daycare as kids."

"What's Feli like?"

"He's such a little cutie!" The brunette gushed. "Very carefree and happy, always has been. He's also very talented at painting."

"What about Mr. Vargas? What was he like as a kid?"

"Pretty much the way he is now. The only difference is that he's a teacher."

"So, how old is he…? Like, three years older than us, or-" Is she seriously asking this?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Elizabeta says angrily.

"I'm just curious! He's so young, it's hard to take him seriously." That sounds viable, the only thing is that everyone has fear and a strange fascination with Mr. Vargas. Then again, Bella has never seemed particularly fazed by the teacher's attitude, so she could be sincere. I'm starting to believe less and less that I'm a good judge of character.

Elizabeta seemed to accept it. "He's only twenty-one, graduated a year early."

"So he's smart." Bella commented.

The brunette shrugged. "I guess. He doesn't really show it though, with the kind of language he uses."

Bella took a moment, then continued the conversation. "So then Feli is in grade twelve with you, right?"

"What's with all the questions, Bell? I'm trying to eat." It was true, Elizabeta had only managed to get a few bites of her sandwich in between talking.

"It's just kinda cool that a students sibling is a teacher at their school. I haven't actually seen that before."

"If you say so… oh, that reminds me! Feli is running for student president. He just got his ballad in this morning."

"Oh my god, Liz, you just gave me the best idea ever!" Bella shook Elizabeta's shoulders, then spun around to look at me. "It's perfect, Madeline! Your poster will be everywhere, your name will be said on the announcements and I can't believe I haven't thought of it earlier! You'll run for class president!"

"What the fuck? I told you guys because I wanted you to vote for him, for god's sake, not run against him." Elizabeta huffed.

"I-I think I have to agree with Elizabeta here, my reasoning seems kind of twisted…"

"Nonsense! You would make a perfect president. And Elizabeta, Madeline isn't exactly running to win. We just want people to notice her, is all."

Elizabeta seemed to consider this. "So… you aren't going to try and sabotage Feli?"

Bella looked completely walled. "W-what? Why do you think we would do that?"

"I don't know! You were asking so many questions about him, so I thought maybe you had an ulterior motive."

"That's ridiculous, there were no motives for that. I only just wanted Madeline to run for president when you mentioned it."

"…why do you want her to run for president?"

"Didn't I already answer that? She would make a perfect president, I believe. She represents the students that have a hard time bringing across their ideas and perspectives. Someone like her would be an important member in student council."

"Then can't she go for something else? Like treasurer, or advisor?"

"No, it has to be president. There's no way her ideas would be considered otherwise. Don't worry, Liz, it'll be a fair election, and isn't she the sort of girl you want to see leading the school?"

"I suppose…" Now her jade green eyes are studying me. "And you refused to join the cheer team, something I'm still on the fence about… well, I think you could make a good president."

"Awesome! Glad to have your blessing, Liz. By the way, about that cheerleader thing, Kat and I are coming up with a routine today. Maybe you should come, too, so we can do a little three-person performance for tryouts." Bella informed. "It'll be your last chance to." She sing-sang.

"I'll go, but only because there is no way in hell I would be able to come up with a routine myself."

"So you'll join?" Bella asked hopefully.

Elizabeta rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I will."

"This is so great! We're all just a bunch of active kids, aren't we? Joining the cheer team, running for student pres-"

"I never said I would run…" I comment.

Bella's entire being drooped a little. "But Madeline, it will be so fun! As your campaign manager, I'll do my best to get your message out there!"

That's it, Bella is delusional. I do not have a 'message' that I want to deliver to the student body, nor have I ever wanted the position in the first place. Is she crazy, or did she honestly forget that I have a public speaking problem? Ninety percent of what the president does is speak in front of everyone!

"Bella, I think you're taking this a little too far…"

"Oh Maddie, could you imagine how amazing it would be if you became the president?" Kat asked, her voice full of awe. "It would mean so much, don't you think? Maybe it will help you get over your shyness."

_My_ shyness? Since when was _I_ the shy one? Why are you doing this to me, God? "K-Kat, Bella wants me to do this for a boy-" I reminded her

"A boy that you like. Even if it doesn't turn out well with him, you'll have put so much effort in for someone else."

What? Is she trying to say that I don't normally put in effort for others? More importantly, how right is she about that? Yes I try to avoid people sometimes, but does that also mean, as a result, that it hurts others? Or I could just be looking into it way too much.

I tuned back into Bella's and Elizabeta's conversation. "-for Feli?"

"No, that would be Ludwig. He's in the same year as you guys."

"I wonder if I have any classes with him… so, will you tell us a bit about our competition?"

"It's not like they have anything confidential, Bell, Feli handed in his ballad this morning, no one else but us knows he's even running yet."

"What about the issues he's covering? He must of said something to you."

Elizabeta crossed her arms. "Even if he did it's none of your business. If you're a good enough campaign manager, you'll take notes of their debates and the entire election. It won't just be Feli running, either."

Bella snorted. "Seriously? At my old school only like, one person went for it."

"Several people are going for it this year. There's going to be Feli, Madeline, some guy named Thomas, Laura and Feliks. Out of all of them, I would say your biggest competition is Feliks."

"Isn't he that kid who cross-dresses?"

"He doesn't do it that often, and, surprisingly, no one bags on him about it. Mostly because he's friends with Natalia."

"Natalia Braginski?" I blurted.

She looked at me curiously. "Yeah, do you know her?"

"Yes, she's Kat's younger sister." I inform.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Kat!" Bella said cheerfully.

"I have a younger brother, too." She said quietly.

"Your Natalia's and Ivan's older sister?" Elizabeta asked, a familiar tone to her voice that's usually associated with those two.

"Y-yes, I am."

"How? Ivan's in grade eleven with you."

"My parents decided to have me in preschool with Ivan, so I'm a year older than my classmates." Kat wasn't looking at anyone. She doesn't really like to talk about her family's dynamics.

"Anyways, how does that have to do with Feliks? Does she protect him or something?"

"Not exactly, it's just no one would think of even starting anything with her around. The point is, he's a huge gossip. He'll most likely get the girls votes."

"Useful information. Bella narrowed her eyes. "Why are you sharing it?"

"He's Feli's biggest rival, too. I think his manager will be Natalia, as well."

The bell rung, signalling that lunch break was over and we all needed to get back to class. The cafeteria began flooding with students trying to leave the area, and Elizabeta had already disappeared amongst the students.

"Madeline, we have gym now." Bella said, looping our arms together and half-dragging me to the change room. The entire time she talks about campaign plans and what I'll say during debates or speeches. She definitely forgot about my speech problem.

"And we'll have to do something about your stuttering in front of everyone, or else you'll never get through an entire speech."

Okay, I guess she didn't.

"I'll be putting in your ballad right after school today, since they'll be announcing the final candidates tomorrow morning. We have to make a few dozen posters one of these days, because I highly doubt anyone will actually show up to the debates."

"Bella, I think you've forgotten-"

"To find info on the other candidates? Don't worry, Madeline, I'm on that." She steps closer to me, lowering her voice. "I'm pretty sure that Laura chick is on our gym class."

"That's nice, but-"

"She's that blonde one a few lockers down from yours. She's already down at the gym."

"D-do you mean the one who has her hair in a bun all the time?" I ask, my voice shaky. If it really is her, then it's the very same girl who has mocked my underwear and bumped into my shoulder pretty violently. In fact, her assault did leave a purple and blue bruise.

"Yeah, that's the one! There are probably a bunch of other girl named Laura in this school so I can't be sure, but I've just got a feeling. In my opinion she seems kind of boring, so I think we have a better chance than her."

For some reason Bella's words make me feel… victorious, but it doesn't really change anything. "Bella, I never said I wanted to be the school president."

"But there is literally no other way to do this, unless you want to change your entire image!"

"W-what? Isn't this basically- never mind. The thing is, I have always had this phobia of public speaking, and I don't think this sudden decision would help it." I say honestly.

She looked at me for an uncomfortably long period of time, her emerald eyes piercing.

"Then how will you change things?"

"I never said I wanted to-"

"It doesn't matter what you've said, Madeline. The real question is whether or not you like the way you are right now. Do you like yourself, Madeline?"

"I-I think I'm a good person-"

"No, do you like yourself? Do you like when people don't really listen to you? Do you like when you don't get what you want because some obstacle is in the way and it would just be easier to give up than really try?"

"I do try-"

"Not really. You do your best, but as soon as you become afraid, you back out. Tell me, if I wasn't pushing so hard, would you even admit you like Gilbert?"

"I don't-"

"Fine, that you have a crush on Gilbert. Would you?"

Luckily Bella had only gotten loud when the other girls left, it was only me and her in the change rooms now. If we don't hurry up, Mrs. Mitchell will mark us as absent.

"I…" I take a deep breathe, readying myself. "No, I wouldn't."

"And that's my point. Sometimes, Madeline, it's good to go after what you want even when your fear is fighting against you. Even when you think that, for whatever reason, it would be better if you didn't. You never know unless you try."

Sometimes I wish that it would take more for me to listen to others. There are a few things that I won't change my mind about, but for everything else… there's a point where I will no matter how much I hate it. "Bella… do you really think this would work? I mean, it seems far-fetched and I have no idea what you're doing."

Finally, she grins at me. "You should really learn to trust me, Madeline."

* * *

The park is a really nice place. There isn't much equipment, just a set of swings, some monkey bars and a single slide. The park is right in between the high school and my old junior high. When we were in seventh grade, Kat and I would always come here and sit on the hill, eating our lunch. Since it's early September, the air is still warm, the grass still green and only a few leafs on the trees have turned yellow.

Bella, Elizabeta and Kat are all standing in single file, following a stretching routine made by the Belgian. I have no idea why I have decided to come to this thing.

"Okay, we're done with the stretching, girls!" Bella exclaimed. "Do you guys have any ideas for a tryout routine?"

That was about as long as I could pay attention. Bella had taken charge of their little group, directing Kat and Elizabeta to certain positions. She went over how to do hand stands and the splits. Amazingly Elizabeta had done the splits and one hand stand after several tries. Kat had gotten the hang of hand stands after what seemed like forever. Finally, Bella's voice rang out for the entire field to hear.

"That wasn't bad. To be honest I didn't think either one of you would do so well."

"It isn't too difficult once you get the hang of it." Elizabeta said with an annoyed tone, hands on her hips.

"That's good to hear! Anyways, now that I have an idea of your guys' skills and abilities, coming up with a routine tonight will be easy."

"I thought we were supposed to come up with one today?" Kat asked.

"It will be today, just within the next few hours! For now though, I think we're done." Bella turned around, making eye contact with me. "What time is it, Madeline?"

I brought my wrist up a bit to check my watch. "About four thirty." I called back, unsure on whether she heard me or not. She may have, right after I called the time she gave me a thumbs up.

"We'll practice again after school all of next week, since that Friday is tryouts."

"Who died and made you queen?" Elizabeta grumbled.

"No one, this is a democracy."

"Ha-ha." The brunette laughed dryly, picking up her bag and sweater. "See you guys Monday."

Once Elizabeta got a good distance away, Bella turned around to face us. "She wasn't in a very good mood this practice."

"I don't think she likes being told what to do…" Kat said thoughtfully.

"She should start getting used to it then, chances are none of us will be the captain and she'll have to listen to a stranger. Well, she might actually end up already knowing the captain, but still."

There was a comfortable silence as Kat and Bella gathered their things. With bags and water bottles in tow, the three of us started walking back to the high school. "How are you guys getting home? Bella asked.

Now there was an awkward silence. "W-well uhm… Maddie's dad is-"

"My dad is dropping Kat off, her parents are busy watching Ivan's hockey game, so-"

Bella laughed. "You don't need to feel bad, Madeline. I'll be fine, I'm taking the bus."

"Are you sure? I could-"

She waved me off. "No problem. I live a bit far, actually, so it would just be a bother."

For some reason, my mind flashed to Tuesday morning, when I saw Bella walking to school only a couple blocks away. Her bus stop is probably just a bit farther away from the school.

"We can wait with you, though, right?" Kat offered as we got closer to the school.

"If you want to, go ahead."

The three of us walked across the school to a bus stop across the street. "What bus are you taking?"  
"The one-fifty-three. It should be hear in fifteen minutes at most."

There was a light buzz coming from my bag, so I unzipped it and rummaged around for my rarely used cell phone. The only reason I have one is because my mom told me I wasn't allowed to go anywhere without one. I slid my fingers across the screen to check the recently received text message.

**From: Papa**

_**I will be there to pick you up soon, sunshine.**_

Put the phone on lock again and slip it into my bag once more. "Hey, Bella, my dad is going to be here soon."

She looks at me for a second, her green eyes blank. I don't recognize the indifference in them and have no time to memorize it as they light up again. "You and Kat should get back to the school then, he won't know you're over here."

"Maddie, you should tell him we're at the bus stop waiting with Bella." Kat suggested.

"There's no need for that! I'm fine."

I ignored her, pulling out my cell phone and sending papa a new text. He immediately sent one back telling me he'd pick us up here.

Bella pouted at me. "You didn't have to do that."

I shrugged. "I wanted to."

As promised, as soon as the sentence left my mouth my papa had driven around the corner in sight. He stopped the car in front of us. I opened the front seat while Kat went back. Papa poked his head out at Bella.

"_Dear Bella, I can drive you wherever you need to go_."

"_It's okay, Francis, I'm taking the bus_."

"_No, please, let me drive you!_" Papa insisted.

Bella looked around as if considering something. She sighed, took her hands out of her pockets, and smiled. Her smile seemed like a practice, not real like all the others. She walked around the car to the other side, taking the seat beside Bella. Papa asked for directions, which Bella had to think about for a moment. After a long pause, she gave him a street and we were off.

During the ride, Bella told papa about the cheer tryouts, some ideas she had about the routine, and the whole entire practice. She went over our presentation, and, horrifically, even told him all the details about my running for school president. Thankfully, she didn't mention Gilbert. Bella was so enchanting that she even managed to get me to give her my cell phone number, which vaguely reminded me of the first time the three of us; Bella, myself and papa, were all in this very car together. It feels like a lot more time has passed than it actually has.

Once we got to the location Bella had given us, she hopped out of the car and skipped up to the gate at the back. We watched as she opened the white picket fence. That's when papa began driving but I watched as she continued on to the back door, leaning down to get the key from under the mat. I never actually saw the key, though, we were too far gone for me to make out its shape.

* * *

**Authors note:**

**Okay, I'll start off on a light note. YOU CAN'T TRUST THE HETALIA WIKI. I'm saying this because last week, while looking through the main character list, there was an OC on there. ****_An OC_****. It's not there anymore, but the fact that it was is a sure sign that any fan girl can go on there and put their own head canons on whatever they like. Worst of all, there was a ferret for it's picture. Like, WTF?**

**Another thing before I go off on a sad rant is; thank you Tomato Komodo and Alaskan Malamute for reviewing! To Tomato: That's the reason I made this, and thanks for the luck! To Alaskan: Whoa, that's a tough request, and I don't know if I can make it work… maybe possible implications of it?**

**Now for sad rant. This chapter was really hard to get done and I wrote most of it today. I lost my cat on Wednesday, and all week family and friends have been looking for it. We put up posters, there's a reward, we've driven and walked countless of times around the neighbourhood… it's been all consuming and I just wanted you all to know.**


	5. Chapter 5

Never in my life did I think that I would be a bystander at a cheer leading tryout. I honestly have no idea who was in the squad last year, none of them wear their uniforms around school and I never went to a single football game. I'm sure if I looked for their group photo around the halls, I would find a few recognizable faces. Football doesn't interest me very much, the only times I find myself watching it is when there's nothing else on T.V. As far as sports go, it's not a boring one, at least. The football players at my school aren't very cocky either -maybe because they lose so much- like the kids in hockey or soccer academy, which has greatly helped my appreciation for the sport.

But now that Kat, -and I'll admit it- Bella and Elizabeta are trying out, the odds that one of them will make it is high, meaning my evenings for the next two months are going to be filled with over-excited parents and sweaty boys running around a field for a spiral ball. Isn't my year looking up?

I kind of feel bad for hoping that one of them doesn't make it, so at least when I'm forced to go to these things I won't be sitting by myself. Which just leads my mind to the prospect of all three of them making it and me being the one left out, which just conjures up more fears of Kat leaving me behind. At least I've somehow convinced myself that Arthur being my only friend isn't such a big deal, he's friendly enough to me.

I don't really want to think about this anymore, so instead I focus on the mundane activities taking place just below me from my seat on the stands. Their coach is going over the rules of how to behave as a cheerleader, practice times, dates of competition, etc. She's getting a little ahead of herself, I count exactly thirty-two girls trying out, and only twelve of them will make it. I comb the mass of ponytails and shorts, trying to detect the ones who have already been on the squad, but have to take the mandatory tryout like everyone else. Since these girls are sure that they'll make the cut again, I look out for any particular signs of confidence.

Only a few of them are, so I guess what Bella said about most of the twelfth graders being apart of the team last year was true, though I never really doubted it. Oddly enough, or I guess not oddly at all if you think about it, Bella is one of the certain. She has this beam on her face, her shoulder length, sunny blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail only accentuating it. She may as well already be on the team.

Elizabeta also seems sure of herself. She has this sort of determined look on her face, her lip pulled upward like she could take on the world. Probably true, with the way she handles things. I spark of envy flows through me, simply knowing that Elizabeta, someone who never even considered joining the squad as far as I know and with just about as much potential as anyone, could easily sign up for this and believe that she could obtain it with enough effort.

Then there is my long time best friend, Katyusha. Kat is tall and curvy, making it nearly impossible for someone of her frame to go unnoticed, no matter how much she tries. Which is why I feel guilty for even letting her consider join the squad, as at the moment she is glued to Bella's side as if the Belgian were a life line. After awhile, the coach tells them all to sit at the benches to the side. Individual tryouts are going first in accordance to alphabetical order, after that it would be whichever groups volunteered.

At first, I thought a good chunk of the girls would have zero talent at gymnastics or really anything that involved cheering. That could be chalked down to the fact that our school isn't particularly good at anything, so anyone who did possess certain skills would choose to go elsewhere. Whatever feeling I had that told me the other girls would be train wrecks is wrong. None of them are professionals, maybe, but it's obvious that most girls here have taken gymnastics for a couple years, at least. The individuals who haven't quietly make their way out of the room realizing that they would most likely embarrass themselves. The ones brave enough to stick around who have no idea what they're doing or are just very oblivious give it their all, but it lacks in quality.

Seeing all of this has made me worry about my friends' performance. I have only been present to one of their practices, the very first one in the park, so I have no idea how it compares to what I've seen. But every time I glance at Bella her eyes are still bright, alive and sure. As long as she thinks that they can do it, I will too.

Watching a bunch of girls cheer with fake enthusiasm trying not to appear nervous in the slightest gets boring fast. Luckily I brought some school work, so as the individual tryouts occur I check over notes and memorize as much as I can. By the time I look back up, most of the girls are gone. The coach is standing off to the side, talking to a girl who I assume just finished her routine. On the benches sits two groups of people sitting closely next to each other, pretending the other didn't exist. The first is Kat, Bella and Elizabeta. I don't know any of the other girls, but I would bet they're the second and final group performance.

The coach comes back to the remaining girls, and looks them all in the eyes. It's intimidating even from my vantage spot. "What are your names?"

"I'm Bella." Of course, she's the first to answer. "This is Kat." She nudges Kat, who looks up quickly then reverts her eyes to the floor. I silently thank Bella for introducing her, Kat doesn't do well with unfriendly people she doesn't know. It's why she and Arthur have never gotten along.

"That's nice, I would've loved to hear it from her, though."

There was a heavy silence, none of the girls knew how to respond. I can understand, if someone else offered their name they were at the mercy of backlash, and if Bella said anything it could be thought of as back-talk. Coaches like these are tricky.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Kat apologizes, a very bad sign. Once she apologizes it's usually followed by waterworks, and there isn't much someone can do to stop it.

The coach tilts her head up slightly, looking down at her. "How do you expect to inspire crowds if you can't even say your name?"

"I-I can say my name… I'm Katyusha." She sniffles a little before looking up. Her eyes are a little red, but not watery at all. Maybe she's gotten out of her tearful stage by now? I can't remember the last time I saw her cry… getting upset isn't the same thing.

Somehow the coach let it slide, moving down the line. Elizabeta, than each of the other girls stated their names. The second group offered to go first before any further instructions could be given. The coach nodded, and each of the girls took their places.

One girl started in a split while the two girls flanked her sides, imaginary poms up. I guess they have a count down in unison because, at the exact same time the two girls at the sides wave their arms, and next thing I know the girl at the back has gotten out of her split. She strides up and center while the two other girls do hand stands. For a few seconds the girl in the middle does a few different poses, then they are all standing up straight in a line. I rip my eyes away form the performance, not because it was boring but because it didn't make me feel better about my friends positions. Were Kat and Elizabeta really able to pull of all the things every girl trying out could do?

Finally their routine is done, the coach thanks them for their time and says that by tomorrow morning, the squad will be announced over the intercom. Kat and the rest get up from the bench and make their way over to the center of the gym. It was a bit of a shock to see that Bella was not their middle girl, but Elizabeta was.

They have a weird connection just like the last girls, starting up at the exact same time. I almost immediately understand why they chose the brunette. She's the smallest of the three. Bella and Kat immediately hoist her up and toss her into the air, and there's a moment wear my breathe catches in my throat because my instincts are telling me that she's going to crash to the ground.

She doesn't. Instead, Elizabeta does a beautiful spin in the air and I wondered when the hell they learned she could do that. They do a few more spins until they let her down. As soon as the brunette's feet are on the ground, they immediately got back into routine, but Bella took place as the middle girl. As the Belgian did a few back flips, Elizabeta and Kat were leaping in the air, kicking their legs high and practically floating. A lot of it reminds me of the things I've seen Kat do on stage during her Ukrainian dances.

Wait… are they… incorporating Ukrainian dance into their routine? It's not exactly like it, as the moves seem a lot more smooth and light, but just the way the two are moving their legs is so similar that the resemblance is striking. Bella mysteriously comes back to join them, all three moving in such synchrony that I don't even realize that Kat has taken to the middle until she's right there, leaning down on one knee. She spins and spins around and around as Bella takes her place as a leaping girl. Kat springs into the air, doing two perfect jump-spins as she goes. The routine ends with Kat finishing her last jump-spin, arms wide open like she's embracing the crowd. Her smile is real, but she isn't looking at the coach. She's looking at me.

Elizabeta and Bella had finished as mirrors of each other, hands in the are like cheerleaders, both wearing victorious grins. The coach walks closer to them, but I can't see her face. She seems to have had a good reaction though, because Kat hasn't lost her smile. She says a few words to them, probably about the results being revealed tomorrow, and dismisses them.

That's my cue to lazily get up from the seat in the stands I've been sitting in for the last hour and a half or so. There's an immediate need to stretch, and why would I deny my body that? Man, it feels like I just went up there and did all that.

Bella flew towards me pulling Kat with her as Elizabeta trailed behind. "So, how amazing were we, Madeline? We definitely have our spots on the team secured, none of the other girls can even compare."

"You definitely impressed me." I said in encouragement. No need to share that for awhile there I didn't have much faith in their chances.

"You guys did everything perfectly!" She says, her words directed at Kat and Elizabeta.

"That was so much fun!" Elizabeta says, her breathing feathery.

"I was wondering…did you guys use Ukrainian dance moves?"

"Yep." Bella nodded like a bobble head. "I thought of it over the weekend. Kat is already skilled at Ukrainian dance styles, and Liz knows ballroom, right? It wasn't too hard to mash those up together."

"I'm surprised I was even able to pull off those twirls in the air! When we were first practicing it I was scared shitless I would fall and break something. Almost did a few times." The brunette says nonchalantly.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

She shrugs. "Bella knows what she's doing, she's a good enough spotter." Elizabeta responded in total trust.

"If you say so… how are you guys getting home?" I ask as I lift my bag from the floor.

"I'm going to hang out with Roderich." Suddenly Elizabeta freezes, then manically shuffles through her bag, pulling out her cell phone. After a second, she curses. "It's already four! I was supposed to be out ten minutes ago! I have to go, guys, see you all tomorrow!" And, without another pause, Elizabeta is sprinting down from the stands and out the gym doors.

"That girl can never stick around for long, can she?" Bella observes. "So, what are you two doing?" Somehow, I don't have a good feeling about her seemingly innocent question.

"Going home, Ivan will be there before me, and he probably hasn't started on supper yet."

"You think he can wait an hour or so? I really want to go to that donair place. To celebrate!"

"I don't know… I don't have any money."

"That's fine, I can pay for all three of us!" She turns to me. "How about it, Madeline, you want to go to the donair place?" The offer sounds exactly like the one for the cheer team tryouts, giving the whole invitation a sort of haunting vibe.

"I think I should study for the literary test Kat and I have next week."

"That is such a lame excuse, there's a test for everything _every_ week. Besides, I'm sure you can wait a little longer, we're just going there to eat."

It _is_ free food, and I could always study a bit later… "Okay, I'll come."

"I guess I'll go… but I'm going to get something for Natalia and Ivan, so you don't need to pay for me." Kat agrees, probably only because I said I will.

"Fantastic! Kat and I have to go change first, meet us by the front entrance, 'kay?" Before I can answer, Bella loops her arm around Kat's and rushes down the stands, leaving me alone in an empty gym.

I exit at a much slower pace, taking the opportunity to yawn sleepily first. Today has been such a long day. During social we talked about the Orange Revolution, in English we had to do a personal response on 'Shame', a letter written by Martin Luther King, then in gym we played soccer. I am not a very good soccer player. Others can take the ball away form me easily, and my aim is always off. Half the time I trip over the ball or slip in the field, and when I do gain possession of the ball, my eyes are glued to it, never seeing potential team mates that I can pass to.

The halls are empty, appearing wider and more foreboding with no one around. There's no helping my slow steps through the school, hoping nothing will jump out at me. If Alfred were here, he would probably pretend there was a zombie apocalypse going on and we were trapped in the school, or some crazy psychopath was rampaging around the long corridors and we needed to escape or hide. Either way, it would involve some horrible movie disaster cliché. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to throw in vampires and werewolves for extra measure. Thinking about this is starting to get depressing; I haven't seen Alfred for months. The last time he came to visit was during spring break, and he only stayed for a couple days.

I wonder what he's doing right now. Probably joined his school's football team, which most likely outclasses our own team by far. Alfred has always had a knack for sports; baseball, basketball, football… if he wanted to, he could become a professional athlete, winning prestigious titles or becoming an Olympian. One thing I know is that he will become successful at whatever he wants to be, because that's the type of person he is. Not like me, the only reason I've stuck with hockey for so long is through natural ability. If I had trouble with it early on, I'm sure I would've quit.

Actually, Bella and Alfred have a lot in common. Both confident and bubbly, happy with life. Both want what's best for everyone. The only difference is based on my own suspicions of Bella. She's never done anything wrong so far, but the way she got Elizabeta to join the team, and just how she talks about others when they're not around… it's a bit ominous. Alfred may have his moments of perceptiveness at times, like when he spouts on about why he thinks Arthur is…well, Arthur, and why his parents are like how they are -heck, he's even given me the knowing stare- but for the most part, he's oblivious. Somehow, I can't help thinking that for Bella, it's more than that.

Just as I'm thinking this I nearly plummet to the ground from someone crashing into me from behind, wrapping their arms around my neck. I get whiplash when my unidentifiable attacker rights me back up. Then the offender giggles directly into my ear, and I know it's Bella. She lets go of me, allowing me the space to turn around and face her and Kat.

"Did it work? Did I scare you?" She asks.

"Not really, but you almost broke my neck…" I say.

"Sorry about that." her smile makes this apology insincere. "We should get going." She starts walking ahead of us, leading the way. Kat and I have to jog just to catch up with her.

"Maddie, do you think we'll make the team?" Kat asks.

I look at her for a moment, seeing deep blue eyes. Then I nod. "Yes, there is no way she won't want you all on the team."

Before Kat can say anything in response, Bella falls into step with us. "Madeline, we really do need to talk about your campaign."

"I still don't know if that's even the right thing for me to do, Bella. The other candidates actually want this, and-"

"Your name is already on the ballad, and besides, just because you're going for it doesn't mean you have to get it."

"It… doesn't? So what you were saying to Elizabeta-"

"Jeez, Madeline, why would I lie about something like that? We all know what your real goal is in this election, and it's not becoming president."

My head fills with annoyance. "Then why do we have to talk about it if I'm not even trying? Actually, if that's the case, then what was the point you tried to make about me never truly trying for anything? Wouldn't this be the exact same thing?"

She blinks at me. "Wow, smart cookie. You make a good point, except that your candidacy is a giant, elaborate cover up. If it were your true goal, than the main thing we would be focusing on is your presidency."

I sigh inwardly. Bella is obviously talented at talking. "Okay, with that in mind, why do you want to talk about my election if it's not important." My voice is flat, sounding more sarcastic than genuinely curious.

"A plan is only as good as its least important step. As of right now, we only have two things to cover. The first is getting Gilbert's attention, thus your election, and the second is getting him to like you."

"I don't see how this could work, Bella. Why would he like me just because I'm going for president?"

"Haven't you been listening? It's not about the election at all, it's about the campaign! I already said that with your name being said all the time and on posters around the school he's bound to remember you."

"I don't think he even knows my name, Bella. I never told him."

Kat gasped. "Oh no, that's right!"

"You two worry too much." We've already made it to the crosswalk, and Bella pushes the button. "You just have to trust me." There's a gleam in her eye, sparking the memory of her saying the same thing to me last week.

The light turns red, and the little white man pops up signalling for us to move forward.

"What we have to go for in this presidency is creating a certain image of you for the voters. They have to feel like they know what you're all about."

"Isn't that going a little far? I mean, this is just a school election…"

"Madeline, you aren't thinking with an ulterior motive! If we get the students to think they know you, chances are Gilbert will feel a bit like he knows you, too. The best thing is that he'll still know that he doesn't."

"How is that good? I'm not sure I'm following with this…"

"Me neither." Kat adds.

Bella rolls her eyes. "There's a balance to these things, girls! We have to show him enough to want more but not enough that he'll think he's already won."

"Won what? This isn't a game."

"Of course it is! Once he thinks he has a good idea of who you are without actually getting anywhere, he won't care anymore. It's all about timing and being one step ahead." Bella says knowingly.

"That's amazing! How do you know all this, Bella?" Kat gushes. I am still on the fence about all this.

"I've had my fair share of boyfriends. Anyways, what we have to concentrate on now is what type of girl we want Madeline to appear as."

"Can't I just appear as myself?"

"Sure!" I have a sense of relief. "With exaggerations, of course." …and it's gone.

We're nearing the donair place, one of a number of stores within the strip mall across the street. A lot of kids from both the junior high and high school come to the strip mall for lunch. There's a lot to choose from, the Taco Time, Seven-Eleven, Subway and the donair place. Around noon all these places are packed with rowdy teens and pre-teens waiting in long lines to place their order or buy a slurpee. Adult costumers are usually waived from having to wait in line during this time, while the employees deal with us youths with a dense amount of irritation. It's much more enjoyable to come here after school.

As we're nearing the store, Bella leaps ahead, waiting for us right in front of the entrance. "I don't think it'll take much time to find out what sort of girl you'll be."

With that, she flings the door open and steps inside.

Kat and I make it inside seconds after, finding Bella already inside, waiting in line behind two people. Kat and I walk over to her, and I immediately see the huge grin on her face and the way her eyes are flashing to the seating area every few seconds. I follow her line of vision.

Sitting at a table is Gilbert, writing in an open notebook.

I take five giant steps back before realizing it. Agreeing with my subconscious, I take another backwards step and raise my hand to push the door open in hopes of getting away from here fast. It turned out to be a pretty huge mistake.

Bella notices my movement. "Madeline, what are you doing?" She nearly shouts, causing everyone in the store to turn their heads. My eyes fly to Gilbert's, who is now looking up at me with those red eyes.

"Oh hey, it's twin tails!" He calls out.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry, so I go for an odd mixture of the two, letting out a tiny whimper. I instantly regret it, but luckily no one seems to have heard.

"Hey Gilbert, what're you doing here?" Bella asks with a friendly tone, as if she hadn't been eyeing him the entire time.

He takes a moment to look at all three of us, then grins. "Looks like the gang's all back together again."

"Madeline, go sit with Gilbert, okay?" Bella doesn't even try to soften her voice.

"I-I don't know, my donair-"

"Kat knows what you like, doesn't she? We'll be fine ordering." To confirm this, Kat nods with a smile.

My situation isn't helped when Gilbert pats the seat beside him. "Get over here twin tails, I won't bite." I am cursing Bella in my head as I walk over to Gilbert's table, sitting in a seat adjacent to him. There is nothing more interesting right now than the smooth, mint green surface of the table. This is partially true, as I note that Gilbert's notebook that he seemed so intent on earlier is gone. I didn't notice when he put it away.

"So twin tails, tryouts were today, right? Sorry I couldn't make it, been a little busy."

I am so uncomfortable. There is no way Bella didn't plan this, the way she was so insistent on coming here, the way her eyes darted at him while she was grinning mischievously, even what she said before entering the donair place now seems like she was foreshadowing this outcome. What does she expect? That I'll hit it off with Gilbert on the get-go? Clearly she's misjudged my capabilities.

"I-I haven't… tried out…" My sentence breaks off.

"What? And I was really looking forward to the games this year, too."

"B-Bella and Kat did, though!"

"Oh did they? Hey, Bell, you tried out for the cheer team today?!" He shouts. If those two keep raising their voices, we're definitely going to get kicked out of here.

"Yeah! Kat, Liz and I kicked butt at the tryouts!"

The costumers ahead of Kat and Bella give them a glare, which only the busty blonde notices. I look back to Gilbert, whose eyes are narrowed. "Liz? Like, _Elizabeta Hedervay_?" He doesn't even wait for an answer to laugh. If you can even call the odd, hissing like sound coming out of his mouth laughter. The foreign noise is so jarring that I can't help but stare. "That-that's a good one! Liz… a _cheerleader_? I-I can't even imagine that! I-it's too much!" He's holding his stomach. "O-oh my god…" Suddenly his arm shoots in the air, and I don't understand what for until his mouth opens again. "Give me a 'T', give me an 'E', gi- oh no, I-I can't finish…" His laughter dies down a bit, until he gets another large grin. "At least the games will be more interesting."

So then, does it not matter to him whether or not it's me cheering to him? Even I know that's a stupid question, he doesn't even know my name, so why would it? In fact he would probably prefer it to be Elizabeta, they're friends, at least. I'm nothing. Wait, why do I even care? I don't even particularly like Gilbert, I just think he's cute and cool and kinda funny and oh dear, do I really like him? What does it even mean to like someone, anyways? How long does it take before you can say that you like someone? Does it matter if they know next to nothing about you and vice-versa? I don't think I've ever even got this far into thinking about it, so what if Kat's right about me being asexual? What if I'm not meant for anyone at all, and I seriously should invest in some cats? Or maybe dogs, Kuma wouldn't like cats, and it gives me a good excuse to move to a farm or something-

"What's going on over here?" Bella's voice snaps me back to reality and I jump a little at her sudden presence.

I probably look like an idiot as I stare at her for far too long. "W-what?"

"I said, 'what's going on over here?'" She sits down across from me and dumps her plastic bag on the table. I look over at Gilbert, noticing ear buds in his ears and a far-off look on his face. How long has he been doing that for? And, more importantly, how long have I zoned out?

"U-uh… just waiting for you." I answer lamely, a little ashamed that she found Gilbert and me like this. And by this, I mean not talking to each other at all. How has she made me feel bad for something that she brewed up behind my back?

She slides the chicken wrap she bought for me across the table, it skidded to a halt right in front of me. I slowly unfolded the paper separating me from my food, trying to take as much time as I possibly could. As long as I waste time this way, this whole ordeal should be over soon. Because Kat's order took longer as she was buying for her siblings as well, she was still telling an employee what she wanted.

"Madeline, I think your campaign should focus on the communication between students and teachers." Does she really need to talk about this right now? Is it really appropriate? "A lot of the time you see that crap on T.V where candidates promise things that they never keep, like longer lunch hours or a free pizza day or whatever. By trying to have a better understanding between teachers and students, you'll let both know what the other wants, and how they can get it."

"Sure…? I haven't really thought of it, except when you said earlier that-"

"That you need to keep your priorities straight? Well, I think the points you're trying to get across are connected to that, don't you think?"

Okay, I am so lost right now. I guess what our earlier conversation was about kind of constituted as priorities, since we were talking about what my real intentions of this campaign are, but I was more speaking more on the lines of how she said I should change my image.

"Yes, but Bella, I'm talking about-"

"We should make some posters soon, I've already seen a couple around school for that Laura chick. Don't know how popular of a vote she is though, so I don't know if we'll have to worry about her."

Bella's eyes drift to Gilbert, then she tugs on his arm. He pulls out his ear buds and gives her a dirty look. "What is it?"

"Do you want to help us make some posters for Madeline?"

"Who's Madeline?" He asks, and Bella looks floored for a second. She quickly recovers.

"That's Madeline." She tilts her head at me.

"Twin tails? What's she need posters for?"

"The election, Gilbert. She's running for president." There's an air of annoyance to go along with her words.

Gilbert gives me a long, hard stare that causes a tremendous heat to travel through my face. His eyes are so unnerving, being such an off-putting colour. "_You're_ running for president?" He asks, he sounds like he doesn't believe it.

I simply dip my head once in confirmation, there is no way I can join in these two confident people's conversation, even if the topic is about me. It would just feel all wrong.

"I'm her campaign manager." Bella says proudly.

Gilbert looks at the both of is, and, slowly, a sly grin grows on his face. "Let me get this straight; twin tails, who barely says anything, is running for president while you, her campaign manager, can't stay on the same subject for long?"

"Is that really too big a thing to wrap your head around?" Bella asks.

"No, no, it's just, well…" He can barely contain his laughter. "T-that's about as ridiculous as Liz joining the cheer squad. Oh god, and you're the one who got her to try. And now you're the one who got twin tails over here to do something that's clearly against what she'd normally do."

"How do you know if that's something Madeline would do or not? As far as I know, she's only talked to you, what, twice now?"

Gilbert shrugs, a smug smile on his face. "It's pretty obvious, Bell. Just look at her! She has only said, what, one sentence to me? If she won't even speak up for someone as awesome as me, than why would she want to in front of everyone?"

"For your information, Madeline talks a lot." Gilbert snorted, at which Bella glares at him. "She may not say much to you, but I've heard her make a few sarcastic comments on some of the things I've said."

Gilbert laughs some more. I'm starting to think it's one of his favourite things to do. "Yeah, I wonder why."

"Don't be like that with me, Gilbert, unless you want Kiku to stop helping you with math."

I clock out on their conversation, instead focusing on Kat. She's just paid for her food and started walking towards us. She looks a bit weary, probably debating on whether or not she should just leave. She catches my eye and we're both just looking at each other. I give no indication on whether or not I want her to join us, as if I were in her place I would take the first opportunity to leave. Unfortunately Kat doesn't end up getting a chance, as Bella takes notice of her.

"Kat, what're you standing there for? Get over here!" With all of our eyes on her, Kat nervously makes her way to our table and sits beside me. " Do you think you'd want to help us with some posters some time this week for Madeline's campaign? We could use your help." Bella directs this at Kat.

"I think I can, I'm usually with you two at lunch, anyways. Will Liz come?"

"Don't know, I haven't asked her yet. Actually, do you guys want her to come? I mean, she is supporting Feli in this election, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't want to." Even though she's saying this to all of us, I notice her eyes stay stuck on Gilbert's longer than anyone else's.

"If you're going to invite her, get her to bring Roddy along."

Bella furrows an eyebrow at him. "The only thing that will accomplish is you making fun of him. I have heard stories from Liz, ya know."

Somehow, his grin gets wider. "Not my fault if he's such an easy target. Have you seen him, Bell? He gets so offended by the littlest things, I just can't help myself."

"Well then try, because I swear if you make it about anything else other than Madeline's presidency than you will pay."

"Calm down, Bell! Jeez, why's it so important to you, anyways? No one takes these elections seriously."

"Because it's important to Madeline, obviously."

Suddenly, his attention is turned towards me. "Why do you even want to be president? Seems kind of like a lame thing to me, it's not like the student body president holds any real power. Most people who run are either snobs or dorks."

So… does that mean he thinks I'm not a snob or a dork, or that he thinks I am one now? Maybe this whole thing wasn't such a-

"But this year seems to be different, at least. You and Feli are running, and as far as I can tell neither of you are lame. 'Course if I were running it wouldn't even be a contest, but the title doesn't really show how awesome I am. Maybe if they came up with, I don't know, Supreme Overlord, then I would definitely go for it."

Is…-is he being serious? I can't even tell anymore, but then again, I don't think I ever really could. It just makes him more cool in my mind, despite whatever doubts there are in the far recesses of my brain.

I look over at Kat to see if I can read what she might be thinking, but, oddly enough she's looking at me. Once we make eye contact she almost immediately darts her eyes back down to the table, where her wrap lays almost untouched. What is up with that? Everyone is acting so weird lately, if you ask me. Okay, maybe not everyone, but Kat is close enough to everyone for me.

Maybe I should text her later. No, I'll probably forget. One of these days though, Kat and I have to talk. Mostly about Bella.

I feel really detached from the chatter between Bella and Gilbert. They are obviously already friends, so I don't see how I could fit myself into their banter. There's light teasing between them, much more mild than the insults shared between her and Arthur, and yet again, I'm starting to wonder if she's flirting. Bella seems to be the friendly type, getting along with people easily and adapting to them well. She has made sure to keep polite, nice and respectful with Kat, cool and witty with Arthur, determined and logical with Elizabeta… she's almost like a chameleon, blending in whenever she feels like it. The only thing I'm left with is wondering what traits she plays on with me.

This sort of behavioural pattern makes it pretty hard for me to interpret exactly what she wants out of whoever she's communicating with. Maybe she doesn't always want something from someone, but I can't help but imagine that this is the case. Then again I'm probably jut being overly suspicious and distrustful towards her.

My phone buzzes within my bag, distracting my from my thoughts. Reaching into my bag, I pull out my cell phone. It's mom, telling me she'll be picking me up shortly. I send a text saying I'm at the strip mall across the street from the school, and she instantly texts back saying she'll pick me up here. I'm glad my parents, or at least my mom, is more tech-savvy than me.

I wait a bit before telling everyone I have to go, spending it by listening to Bella and Gilbert. Throughout the last half-hour they have switched from talking about me to Roderich to me to the campaign, then to math and back to me again. I have to give Bella some credit, she is wedging my name in every chance she can get. I'm not too worried about her back stabbing me and taking Gilbert for herself, because her match-making plans are way too complex, and no matter how good of an actress she may be, no one could fake the enthusiasm she's shown.

"What I'm most concerned about though is Feliks, I'm sure he has some sort of plan to gain the most votes."

"You mean that one kid in tenth grade who talks like he's from orange state? _That's_ your toughest competition?" He's smirking at this newfound knowledge.

"Don't underestimate him, Liz herself said he was the one to beat."

"Yes, because Liz is all-knowing, right?"

"Don't judge my sources! Besides, I'm sure she knows more about it than you do."

"You may be right, but remember that my judgments are best and you really should be going to me for campaign advice. Twin tails-" My head snaps at the nick name. "-if this chick doesn't listen to my grade A advice, you should just ignore her and go along with what I say."

"Well 'this chick' never said she wouldn't listen to your advice, for the record." Bella points out.

"True enough. What I don't get is why you would even consider what Liz has to say in the first place, she is supporting Feli, after all."

"Aren't you supporting him too? I thought you guys are friends."

"We are, but I'd rather have Madeline as my president, I'd rather listen to her during the announcements any day."

The sort-of compliment sends a rush of heat to my cheeks. Thank god he's not paying attention to me, or else he'd make some sort of perverted remark. I honestly don't know how I feel about that aspect of him yet. It's disgusting yet intriguing and new.

Before I can even tread further into how I feel about anything that has to do with Gilbert, there's a loud honk coming from outside the building. "Uhm… that's probably my mom. I'll see you guys tomorrow." My eyes go over everyone until they land on Gilbert's red ones. He wiggles his eyebrows at me, and I know my reaction is an embarrassing one when he laughs.

Without even glancing at Kat or Bella, I high tail it out of the shop and race to my mom's car, nearly tripping on the way out. When I right myself back up, I can see my mom giggling at the near collision. Feeling even more humiliated, I walk up to the front passenger door, pull it open, sit down and buckle myself in all without a single word exchanged between my mom and I.

She eases us outside the parking lot, a comfortable silence between us two. My mom is a bit of an oddball; she collects various trinkets and hates throwing things away. Because of this, her car is full of loose leaf paper, wrappers, old coins and a plethora of other useless junk. I've secretly always loved this about my mom's old mini-van, unlike my papa's car that changes every couple years and is always in pristine shape, I have very fond memories of this vehicle.

It has driven me to many hockey games, to my first time on ice, to my first of every level of schooling, to Kat's and Arthur's house, it has been there for as long as I can remember. It may not be the nicest car out there, but I love it all the same.

"Maddie?" My mom says out of the blue.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Your papa got a call earlier about Alfred; he's coming to stay with us for awhile."

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Cliffhanger! Heehee, chapters are just getting more fun to write. Also we found my cat! Well, he actually found us. After over a week of being missing, he came to our front lawn. I am SO HAPPY he's back! BTW I was going to drop the 'Alfred' bomb a bit differently and go more into detail, but decided that this chapter had enough going for it. Anyways, happy reading!**


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